The Petty-Graft-for-Disarmament Program

I haven't followed the oil-for-food scandal story too closely largely because (1) I don't find shady deals associated with petroleum exports and middle eastern dictators particularly surprising and (2) the characters screaming loudest about it are the ones who would find corruption in the contract to maintain the vendng machines at UN HQ worthy of destroying anything that looked like world government.

But I have to gawk at the scope. A $160,000 bribe? From a $64B program over what, 8 years? Context, please, people. The CPA lost $9B and Jerry Bremer got the Medal of Freedom.

Say what you want about Kofi Annan and his operation but... and I can see the veins bulging on their foreheads now...

He - largely with the help of the oil-for-food program - sure as hell did a good job at disarming Saddam Hussein. Although he can't take all the credit. Bill Clinton deserves some, too.