The Grey Lord correctly notes that "everything is designed to ensure we stay." Beyond all the rhetoric, this is the reason why. Cold hard cash to the tune of $18B ensures that a lot of authorities will continue to look the other way, sing praises to those who are making "progress," and otherwise guarantee that the Operation Stacks of Hundred Dollar Bills goes on and on and on...

raq's former anti-corruption chief has given further details of what he says is widespread abuse in his country.
Radhi Hamza al-Radhi told the BBC that the commission he headed had gathered evidence of 3,000 cases of corruption.

He was speaking in Washington, where he fled earlier this year, saying he feared for his life.

A former judge charged with leading the fight against corruption in Iraq, he accused the Baghdad government of stopping him from pursuing culprits.

Mr Radhi told the BBC he had uncovered corruption on a huge scale.

"We started our job in June 2004 with 3,000 cases," he said. "And we found that $18bn was missing."

Counter-charges

The former commissioner said the Iraqi government had frustrated his efforts.

He said members of his staff and their families had been targeted - some of them abducted, tortured and killed.

Earlier this month Mr Radhi told a US congressional committee that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki had protected some relatives involved in corruption.

Where is this money going? Tribal leaders, militias with unknown agendas, "terrorist" groups, ex-pats and their families living safely in the West, arms dealers, drug dealers, and probably not a few Westerners currently "serving" in Iraq are my guesses. Who else can you think of? Clearly, the money being spent over there isn't being used to bring silly things like electricity and clean water to Iraqis.

I really hate living in the New High Gilded Age of Corruption. The future is being pissed away while the globe heats and the environment dies. And Americans just don't seem to care. At least, not enough to do anything to stop it.