But what about the $8 Billion embezzled in "Oil-for-Food"

Boy that was a LOT of post-hoc justifications for this fucking disaster ago. Of course, we know that our feckless leader more than made up for his by flying in pallets of cash and losing about $9 Billion of it then and there.

But we managed to get some like minds into the Iraqi government, who, while they certainly cannot govern, can certainly maintain the level of graft to which we have become accustomed:

Iraq's top corruption fighter said Wednesday that $8 billion in government money was wasted or stolen over the past three years and claimed he was threatened with death after opening an investigation into scores of Oil Ministry employees.

In the chaos and lawlessness of Iraq, such threats are not taken lightly. Radi al-Radhi, who runs the Public Integrity Commission, leads one of the more dangerous missions in the country. He said in an interview with The Associated Press that 20 members of the organization have been murdered since it began its work.

In perhaps the most publicized recent case, an estimated $2 billion disappeared from funds to rebuild the electricity infrastructure.

Former Electricity Minister Ayham al-Samaraie, who holds both U.S. and Iraqi citizenship, was convicted in that case and sentenced to two years in prison. He escaped from an Iraqi-run jail in the Green Zone on Dec. 17 and turned up in Chicago on Jan. 15. Al-Samaraie has said the Americans helped him escape.

Al-Radhi said the commission has investigated about 2,600 corruption cases since it was established in March 2004, a few months before the United States returned sovereignty to Iraq. He estimated $8 billion has vanished or been misappropriated.

Corruption in the country, while traditionally rampant, is encouraged by constitutional clause 136 B, al-Radhi said. It gives Cabinet ministers the power to block his investigations.

It's just great all around isn't it?

The thing that makes it even greater is this.

The previous Iraqi Oil Minister?

Ahmed Chalabi. Certainly a sterling reputation for integrity.

His successor?

Hussain Ibrahim Saleh al-Shahristani, who is affiliated with the Shiia United Iraqi Alliance headed by Bush's faux buddy, and Iran's REAL buddy Abdul Aziz al-Hakim.