Yet somehow no one looted the oil ministry.

[mburbank]

"there's also speculation that most of the collection was reproductions, and Saddam had already self looted the museum a while ago."

I will take that with grain of salt. What I have seen in papers today is that a large portion of the Museum looting was the work of a single organized criminal group (although certainly other followed), which would make sense, taking advantage of chaos they knew ws coming.

The Library is unforgivable, since there was a period of days between the Museum and the library.

Of course the Looters are responsible for their actions. We are responsible for not even trying to stop them.

Protecting the oil fields doesn't suprise me, nor do I find it astonishing. Protecting the oil ministry building and not hospitals or museums? That's pretty sad.

On a side note, the Egyptian economoy is almost entirely based on tourism and antiquities. Granted oil will always be it's economic engine, but Iraq (you know, the FREE DEMOCRATIC FAIRYLAND Iraq where going to build) could certainly count it's history as a major part of it's economoy. I just don't think the Bushies are your Museum types.