The GOP made Iraq the disaster what it is

Reuters provides a daily fact box documenting the carnage in Iraq. It's brutal. There's no end in sight to the violence.

Take a look at the Reuters article or any of the other daily articles on the death and destruction in Iraq, then read yesterday's Washington Post about how the Republicans staffed post-war Iraq. Iraq was a job program for GOP hacks. The Republicans didn't care about qualifications or abilities that would help rebuild that country. The most important quality for being hired to work in Iraq was fealty to Bush (and other right wing causes) -- and conservative commentator Kate O'Beirne's husband did the hiring:

After the fall of Saddam Hussein's government in April 2003, the opportunity to participate in the U.S.-led effort to reconstruct Iraq attracted all manner of Americans -- restless professionals, Arabic-speaking academics, development specialists and war-zone adventurers. But before they could go to Baghdad, they had to get past Jim O'Beirne's office in the Pentagon.

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 seemed most important was loyalty to the Bush administration.

O'Beirne's staff posed blunt questions to some candidates 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.

Read the whole article. It's beyond shocking. And, it's no wonder that Iraq is a disaster.

It's like these Republicans were building a society in Bush's name the way Cartman built a "Sea-ciety" in his name on South Park. But, this wasn't fun and games. Instead, they were screwing up a country, making it hospitable for terrorists and fueling the insurgency.

Americans are in greater danger because Bush plays politics with national security. Jim Webb said it best on yesterday's Meet the Press, "We didn't go in to Iraq because of terrorism. We have terrorists in Iraq because we went in there." We have terrorists in Iraq because of Republican operatives like Jim O'Bierne and Bernie Kerik.

Bush has the most blame. This also happened because the Republican Congress failed to do any oversight.