Just When You Thought Bush Couldn't Look Any Worse

Thanks to economist Paul Krugman's blog, I saw this Washington Post article describing how various appointments to key positions in Iraq were made by the Bush Administration. Krugman brings it up in the context of how conservatives tend to use their own failures in government to prove that government doesn't work (talk about a self-fulfilling prophecy!). It's something that's been happening more and more during the early days of Obama's presidency, with the response to Katrina and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan being the most commonly-offered examples.

Reading the Post article, it's easy to see how the Iraq occupation has turned into the disaster that it has. It sounds like people were screened not for necessary skills or experience, but rather for loyalty to Bush/Cheney and idealogical leanings. Consider this section:

"A 24-year-old who had never worked in finance -- but had applied for a White House job -- was sent to reopen Baghdad's stock exchange. The daughter of a prominent neoconservative commentator and a recent graduate from an evangelical university for home-schooled children were tapped to manage Iraq's $13 billion budget, even though they didn't have a background in accounting."

Readers may sometimes wonder why I make such a big deal out of the fact that Obama is at least trying to find the best people for each position... well, wonder no more!