Bringing the Free Market to Iraq...NOT

[Griff]

QAYYARAH, Iraq -- U.S. forces are cracking down on an unexpected problem in this oil-rich country -- gasoline bootlegging.


Long lines at an inadequate number of gas stations -- a result of decades of underinvestment by dictator Saddam Hussein's government -- have given rise to thousands of illicit gas stands.
In Nineveh and Diyala provinces, U.S. troops are shutting down bootleggers and giving their gas away for free in an effort to control the price of gasoline, protect the livelihoods of gas-station owners and employees, and in the long term, reduce the wait and encourage investment in gas distribution.

The last thing the Bush administration wants to see is small business solving problems that Socialism and CronyCapitalism need to justify their existence.