Government Executive Vol. 36, No.9

FEATURES

• Taming the IRS Chief Information Officer Todd Grams intends to conquer IRS modernization, not become its latest victim.
  By Shane Harris
• Looking for Trouble Agriculture officials say they want to know how prevalent mad cow disease really is. Not everyone is sure they're serious.
  By Katherine McIntire Peters
• Fear of Failure Why are so few schools keeping up with No Child Left Behind?
  By Denise Kersten
• Fewer Hands on Deck The Navy's top admiral plans to increase the fleet's firepower by cutting the crew.
  By George Cahlink

NEWS+ANALYSIS

• Desert Storm The very nature of the Coalition Provisional Authority is in question. By Shane Harris
• Duty, Honor, Country The Army's investigation into the abuse of Iraqi prisoners reveals a stunning failure of leadership. By Katherine McIntire Peters
• Reining In Contractors The prison scandal in Iraq raises questions about contractor oversight. By Jason Peckenpaugh and Shane Harris
• Earth to Managers Get ready for big changes at NASA, or get ready to move on. By Beth Dickey
• Privacy Perceptions Is opinion nine-tenths of reality? By Shane Harris
• Weapons Watchdog Thomas Christie walks a fine line between sharp questions and playing nice. By George Cahlink
• Push-Button Travel Paper-free trips are upon us. By Caroline Polk

ADVICE+DISSENT

• Piecemeal Watch List Managing Technology: Slow progress hinders the terrorist database. By Karen D. Schwartz
• Without a Net Management Matters: A promotion is not always a reward. By Brian Friel
• A Bridge to Service Viewpoint: It's up to civil servants to tell young people about the great opportunity to change lives and the nation. By Sandra Day O'Connor
• In a Pig's Eye Political World: Congress takes care of its own with homeland security pork, even where danger is remote. By Charles Mahtesian

IN EVERY ISSUE

• Editor's notebook Self-inflicted wounds are leading to the decline of the public sector.
• The Buzz Keeping secrets, building nations, hunting bargains and paying it back.
• Outlook More talk and less action is making government the perfect place to shirk executive responsibility.