This is astonishing enough that I just had to share it--a story about just how miserably, catastrophically political Republicans made the process of "rebuilding" Iraq. (I use quotes there because much of the work of "rebuilding" was actually just forcing privatization on most of the country's industries and resources, and quashing organized labor.)

Courtesy of the Washington Post, some insight into the selection process for American officials sent to govern in Iraq:

To pass muster with O'Beirne, a political appointee who screens prospective political appointees for Defense Department posts, applicants didn't need to be experts in the Middle East or in post-conflict reconstruction. What they needed to be was a member of the Republican Party.

O'Beirne's staff posed blunt questions about domestic politics: Did you vote for George W. Bush in 2000? Do you support the way the president is fighting the war on terror? Two people who sought jobs with the U.S. occupation authority said they were even asked their views on Roe v. Wade.

Many of those chosen by O'Beirne's office to work for the Coalition Provisional Authority, which ran Iraq's government from April 2003 to June 2004, lacked vital skills and experience. 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.

[...] To recruit the people he wanted, O'Beirne sought résumés from the offices of Republican congressmen, conservative think tanks and GOP activists. He discarded applications from those his staff deemed ideologically suspect, even if the applicants possessed Arabic language skills or postwar rebuilding experience.

[...] He and his staff used an obscure provision in federal law to hire many CPA staffers as temporary political appointees, which exempted the interviewers from employment regulations that prohibit questions about personal political beliefs.

[...] "I'm not here for the Iraqis," one staffer noted to a reporter over lunch. "I'm here for George Bush."

Unbelievable. Just unbelievable. These are the people running our country, folks. This is what happens when Republicans are in power. Bank on it. There's much more to the story above--it's an excerpt from a new book--and it's well worth reading.

Labels: Politics