In the Arena

Finally Some AID

The President has finally announced, after much unnecessary sturm und drang, that Dr. Rajiv Shah will be the new director of USAID. This is great news for Hillary Clinton’s effort to make development–that is, the distribution of humanitarian and economic aid overseas–as important as diplomacy in the State Department’s portfolio.

It is also good news for the war effort in Afghanistan–since a more efficacious use of US development funds there is badly needed. AID has fallen into the terrible habit of distributing its funds through big private subcontractors. A much better path would be for dedicated foreign service officers, with real knowledge of the situation on the ground, to distribute the funds to local contractors and NGOs with specific missions within the larger U.S. strategy. Deputy Secretary of State Jack Lew–an excellent Clinton appointment–has been giving a lot of thought to just how this should be done and he’s anxious to move forward with the new director.

Beyond Afghanistan–and after 8 years of zero thought given to foreign aid by the Bush Administration, outside its admirable anti-HIV program in Africa–a revived and thoughtful USAID program could do wonders when it comes to backing President Obama’s words with actually progress on the ground. Let’s hope Dr. Shah proves to be the right choice.

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  • 53_3

    Another excellent move away from farming out our policy and defense to those whose C-in-C is the Almighty Dollar.
    .
    Of course, what really needs to happen here is more Affirmative Action For Wingnuts, and in that capacity, I offer these mental pellets to those fecal pellets on the right:
    .
    Joe! You’re a communist!
    .
    Bigger Government!
    .
    Socialist plot!
    .
    Or, as my favorite GOP terrorist, 2/3rds of a nut, exclaimed on your LOL blog last week!
    .
    “We aren’t violent, but we’re not afraid of it!”

  • stuartzechman

    Joe Klein:

    A much better path would be for dedicated foreign service officers, with real knowledge of the situation on the ground, to distribute the funds to local contractors and NGOs with specific missions within the larger U.S. strategy.

    That’s crazy, un-American, leftist ideology talking, not the pristine, Rumsfeldian, scientific management principles of Gov 2.0.
    .
    If the past eight year have taught us anything, it’s that, in the long run, outsourcing to the entrepreneurial genius of outfits like KBR and Blackwater will always save tax-payer dollars whilst serving US strategic interests.
    .
    What would bureaucrats like “foreign service officers” know about efficient operations in the service of complex US foreign policy goals?
    .
    What we need is more private contracting overseas, so that we can show the world how fundamentalist free market-based policies work in practice to benefit everyone everywhere, just like conservative principles say they should.
    .
    Freedom is on the march, Joe Klein.

  • Ffred

    Yeah, let’s not forget Halliburton, our favorite contractor. War profiteering is the American way.

  • stuartzechman

    …BTW, I know these things because I hired the new “strategic consulting” firm of Rice Hadley LLC (link to Condoleeza Rice and Stephen Hadley’s awesome new business venture), which was an even better decision than calling Hair Club for Men.

  • stuartzechman

    Sorry, that should be “Condoleezza” with that necessary extra “z”.

  • jcapan

    Speaking of contractors, some data:

    “The number of military contractors in Afghanistan rose to almost 74,000 by June 30, far outnumbering the roughly 58,000 U.S. soldiers on the ground at that point.”

    “In Iraq, as of June 30 there were 119,706 military contractors, down 10% from three months earlier and smaller than the number of U.S. troops, which stood at approximately 132,000.”

    http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125089638739950599.html

  • http://2thirdsrocks.wordpress.com 2thirdsrocks

    Ah there’s the ole’ -53 we’ve all come to know and loath. you seem to have quite the uncanny obsession with fecal pellets. You mention them constantly.

    Here’s a little bit of advice for you, as you seem to be vying hard for the title of Joe Klein’s boy toy, try a breath mint. Probably won’t help, I’m sure the best you’ll get out of the deal will be sloppy thirds, but hey that’s a start. If you act right maybe he’ll let you sniff his butt.

  • http://2thirdsrocks.wordpress.com 2thirdsrocks

    Hey ffffffred, who do you think would have been a better alternative to Halliburton? The only other company equipped to do the job was from France. Is that who you would have given the contract to?

  • hellslittlestangel

    Did he really accuse Obama of “sturm und drang?” Has he got a defective word-a-day calendar?

  • Ffred

    How do we know that? It was a no-bid award.

  • http://2thirdsrocks.wordpress.com 2thirdsrocks

    How do you put a contract up for bid when there’s only one company that does that type of work. A very simple question.

  • hellslittlestangel

    “…there’s only one company that does that type of work.”

    What type of work? Faulty plumbing? Lethally faulty electrical work?

  • 53_3

    Hey, 2/3rds!
    .
    Do you want me to link to that rant of yours?
    .
    It wasn’t me who said those seditious, traitorous, pro-terrorist, and threatening things. It was…
    .
    You!
    .
    Look at it this way:
    .
    I’m really thanking you for providing me with the most complete and comprehensive evidence in support of the contention that right wing terrorism is a threat to our country.
    .
    Thanks again, 2/3rds of a nut!

  • 53_3

    Oh, and 2/3rds of a nut:
    .
    You forget about Haliburtons’ “loss” of approximately $9,000,000,000 in reconstruction money, do you?
    .
    I thought not, but then again, it’s just like your stand on terrorism, so it’s sure to be ok with you, as long as they’re your crooks!
    .
    Taste the waste, 2/3rds of a nut…

  • 53_3

    Oh yeah, afore I fergits, 2/3rds of a nut:
    .
    You’re getting really good at insulting me! Maybe one of these days you actually will hurt my feelings.
    .
    But what I think everyone without exception has been able to see, is that you have been completely and utterly unable to refute any point I have made here, or anywhere else!
    .
    Keep it up…

  • 53_3

    “How do you put a contract up for bid when there’s only one company that does that type of work.”
    .
    In the sciences, this is known as a circular argument.
    .
    Just thought I’d point that out…

  • http://2thirdsrocks.wordpress.com 2thirdsrocks

    You’ve yet to make a point, dimbulb. Gimme something to work with besides lowgrade babble. You’re off the charts even for a liberal.

    As to my rant, I stand by it. Link away!

  • Cliff

    who do you think would have been a better alternative to Halliburton?
    .
    Oh, I don’t know, how about a company that doesn’t electrocute our soldiers and isn’t associated with the Vice President of the United States?
    .
    Why do you hate the troops?

  • repzak

    Brilliantly done, Stuart *applauds* I laughed :)

  • http://2thirdsrocks.wordpress.com 2thirdsrocks

    What company would that Cliffy? I can’t seem to get an answer.

  • http://2thirdsrocks.wordpress.com 2thirdsrocks

    Again, more babble. As far as hating the troops, that’s B.O’s department. Quite obvious.

  • abdullah69

    the question to ask two thirds is whether he would be as proud of his offspring if they worked in the State Department rather than the military.

  • http://2thirdsrocks.wordpress.com 2thirdsrocks

    And the answer would be, absolutely! Go away abdullah. Got no patience with muzzies lately.

  • abdullah69

    Afghanistan is a classic exampleof the failure of Americans to understand history.
    History shows that all empires fail eventually(they simply collapse under their own weight), but the empires that last the longest are the ones that give back to their colonial subjects. Hence the longevity of the Greek, Roman, Moorish and British empires. The American empire lasted almost exactly twelve years, from November 1989 until September 2001.

    When the US taxpayer pulled out of Aghanistan in the late eighties, at the same time the Soviets did, the Afghans reverted to their default lifestyle, namely growing dope and killing people. While seeing Afghanistan as a successful proxy win in the Cold War, the US failed to follow through to secure the territory.

    Until such time as the US is prepared to spend as much time and resources on winning the peace as on winning the war, then any military victory is meaningless.

    Iraq is testament to that.

  • abdullah69

    Two thirds – a muzzie is what, exactly?

  • abdullah69

    No wonder your offspring went into the miltary. They clearly sought an authoritarian figure they could respect.

  • stuartzechman

    repzak:
    .
    You’re too kind.

  • Cliff

    Surely there was some company capable of fulfilling KBR’s duties without electrocuting the troops.
    .
    But we’ll never know because troop hating scum like you and Cheney had to funnel as much money to KBR as soon as possible.

  • hippooath

    “What company would that Cliffy? I can’t seem to get an answer.”

    Where were KBR during WWII, Korea and Vietnam? We fought on 3 different fronts, in Italy, Europe and Asia and we managed to supply our troops under worse conditions without funneling huge amount of money to mercenary organisations such as KBR and Black Water.

    Funny how that is. Who else could have done it? How about our military? Or how about local companies? How about providing locals with a job, I’m sure they can do a better job and lift themselves up at the same time. That way maybe desperate Iraqis didn’t have to take up arms against us for a hot meal.

    It’s funny how Halliburton was on the edge of corporate oblivion until a no-bid contract suddenly revived it.

    That’s just to much fun for me.

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