By Al Kamen

The Washington Post

HONOLULU — As if living in Hawaii weren’t spectacular enough, Navy Capt. Brian Moss, commander of the Pacific Missile Range Facility at Barking Sands, Kauai, decided his government-owned house needed some fixing up. So he decided to put up a couple of gazebos on the beach by the house that were originally to cost $15,000, and to spruce up the house interior.

When it was all done, the gazebos alone cost $119,000 and the total bill for improvements came to $177,000, according to an inspector general’s report obtained by Honolulu television station KHON.

The report said Moss spent about $13,000 for carpeting, including about $2,700 to fly the carpet in from the mainland after he rejected locally available carpet, according to the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. The IG’s report said the money he used was not authorized for that purpose.

But Moss wasn’t relieved of his command and the Navy would not say what disciplinary action was taken, except to call it "very appropriate and effective."

Word at the Pentagon is the discipline didn’t really amount to much. Moss was stripped of his authority over housing funds, but that was happening anyway to base commanders throughout the Navy under a streamlining effort. And Moss, who is retiring soon, apparently underwent "administrative counseling," a defense official said.

The problem, it seems, is that after much head scratching, the Pentagon brass, though not happy about all this, couldn’t determine precisely what the violations were. We’re told the old rules were so poorly written that it wasn’t clear whether Moss directly violated anything.

"We locked the barn door after this horse was built," a defense official reflected this week.

In all fairness, these are some mighty fine gazebos, with showers, wet bar and fridge.