Liberal Talk Radio

You know the rebuilding effort in Iraq is stalling when we can’t even point to the freshly-painted schools:

Curiously, most of the problems seemed unrelated to sabotage stemming from Iraq’s parlous security situation, but instead were the product of poor initial construction, petty looting, a lack of any maintenance and simple neglect.

A case in point was the $5.2 million project undertaken by the United States Army Corps of Engineers to build the special forces barracks in Baghdad. The project was completed in September 2005, but by the time inspectors visited last month, there were numerous problems caused by faulty plumbing throughout the buildings, and four large electrical generators, each costing $50,000, were no longer operating.

The problems with the generators were seemingly minor: missing batteries, a failure to maintain adequate oil levels in the engines, fuel lines that had been pilfered or broken. That kind of neglect is typical of rebuilding programs in developing countries when local nationals are not closely involved in planning efforts, said Rick Barton, co-director of the post-conflict reconstruction project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a research organization in Washington.

It’s interesting that it’s not the security situation so much as the follow-up, the training, the little things that separate success from failure.

So here we are, in 2007, with our rebuilding efforts flailing, an Iraqi army that can’t shoot straight, and a local governent that can’t get its act together. Remind me again why sticking around for another six months is going to turn this thing around?