With the turnover of power, Paul Krugman discusses the failures of the Iraq occupation. He states in blunt terms, "Future historians will view it as a case study of how not to run a country." Interestingly, he offers us an insider's view of Bremer's thinking, what he feels is most important for Iraq at this point in time. The answer? You guessed it, tax cuts. As Krugman puts it, "Insurgents are blowing up pipelines and police stations, geysers of sewage are erupting from the streets, and the electricity is off most of the time — but we've given Iraq the gift of supply-side economics." As a side note, Krugman identifies the current person in charge of supervising privatization of Iraqi businesses. Hmm, perhaps a notable economist or expert in this area? Nope, it's Michael Fleischer, Ari's brother.

So we've managed to import to this country the two predominant themes of the Bush administration: tax cuts and cronyism. What next for Iraq? I predict the first free election will require a recount.