Teapot Dome on the Tigris

The next time the Bush administration starts bitching about its press in Iraq, roll out this glowing ode to U.S. bribes of tribal sheiks. Even though bribes can never be a long-term path to a stable nation, indeed the end of the story proves that in sad detail, the American bribers are praised as "embracing unorthodox, creative and daring approaches to build alliances with local power brokers."