IRAQ - What Price Stupidity ?

We have been doing a lot of research into the scene in Iraq, and in doing so, I have formed an opinion regarding what single form of corruption has been the most significant in creating the situation there...
It is the selection of people for roles there based on political persuasion, rather than demonstrated competence in the required field. Of course other things have occurred that warrant mention, but in all cases, the <b>sheer stupidity</b> of some of those actions stems in most cases from the complete incompetence of the people assigned to the tasks.

Examples abound, but to take a few plums: Let's take Paul Bremer - see below an excerpt from <b>"<a href="http://www.harpers.org/BaghdadYearZero.html">Baghdad - Year Zero</a>" by Naomi Klein</b> - she is describing Paul Bremer:

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<i>A Reagan-era diplomat turned entrepreneur, Bremer had recently proven his ability to transform rubble into gold by waiting exactly one month after the September 11 attacks to launch Crisis Consulting Practice, a security company selling 'terrorism risk insurance' to multinationals. Bremer had two lieutenants on the economic front: Thomas Foley and Michael Fleischer, the heads of 'private sector development' for the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA). Foley is a Greenwich, Connecticut, multimillionaire, a longtime friend of the Bush family and a Bush-Cheney campaign 'pioneer' who has described Iraq as a modern California 'gold rush.' Fleischer, a venture capitalist, is the brother of former White House spokesman Ari Fleischer. Neither man had any high-level diplomatic experience and both use the term corporate 'turnaround' specialist to describe what they do. According to Foley, this uniquely qualified them to manage Iraq's economy because it was 'the mother of all turnarounds.'
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<h1>Naomi Klein</h1>
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