Wednesday, March 16, 2005

One For You and One For Me; One For You and Five For Me

As the insurgency in Iraq started to kick into gear, I noted that the insurgents had lots of cash. I wondered at what point the money men would start to see that they were losing the war and start thinking about keeping the money instead of doling it out to the little guys doing the killing. After all, it is one thing for Baathists to spend when they thought it would lead to their return to power when a little extra neck stomping would repay their generous loans. It is another when they start to think that the money will run out and in the end they won't be back in the palaces. Oh what to do? Oh what to do? Well, they could just keep the money:

As the tide turns, many of the terrorist paymasters are shifting their spending to themselves and their families. With war crimes trials now under way, and more Iraqi police out there knocking on doors, paying for dead cops and American soldiers is becoming a dangerous proposition. Too dangerous for a man of means.

As the shift continues, it won't be long before the paymasters cut off those pesky--and losing--gunmen.

Better to retire to a country that won't ask questions as long as you have plenty of cash.