Winning the hearts and minds through even more "security"

So, now the White House plan is to divert $3.5 billion that had been earmarked for power stations, waste management and other infrastructure repair, and instead direct it to the (lack of) security situation.

Kill them as they wade through raw sewage in the darkened streets, evading kidnappers. Good plan.

"Nobody believes this will benefit Iraq," said Kamil N. Chadirji, deputy minister for administration and financial affairs in the Iraqi Ministry of Municipalities and Public Works, which has responsibility for water and sewage projects outside Baghdad.

"For a year we have been talking, with beautiful PowerPoint documents, but without a drop of water," Mr. Chadirji said, waving a colorful printout that he received from American officials.

This, of course, leads one to wonder, if we budgeted $18 billion for reconstruction, but spent only $1 billion thus far, why, oh why, is this even necessary?