Afghan Building Watchdog Resigns

Arnold Fields has resigned from his post as head of the office in charge of investigating corruption in the multibillion-dollar effort to rebuild Afghanistan. Senators from both parties, including Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO), have allegedly been expressing concern since 2009 that Fields was not doing his job effectively, and requested that President Obama "begin the process of removing" Fields back in September. The group wrote to Obama that they needed "an individual who will oversee the significant organizational change needed... to provide adequate oversight of the billions of dollars of spending on reconstruction in Afghanistan." A former major general in the Marine Corps, Fields was named special inspector general for Afghan reconstruction in 2008, when the office was first established. In a statement announcing his resignation, the White House added that "the president and the American people owe him a debt of gratitude for his courage, leadership, and selfless service to our nation."