In a stirring bipartisan display of principle, members of Congress pledged Tuesday to crack down on corruption immediately following an elegant private fundraiser attended by several of the nation’s largest defense contractors, lobbyists, consultants, and “concerned stakeholders” with active financial interests in never-ending war.

“Defense officials confirmed Tuesday that another $1 billion had become unaccounted for somewhere inside the nation’s military bureaucracy, reassuring Americans that while the money itself may be gone, the confidence with which they discussed its disappearance remains fully intact.”