In the current environment in Washington, there is every reason to believe that any Republicans reading this post may be called upon to serve in a high-level post in the Bush Administration, if only because everybody else has already had a go. With this in mind, I thought I’d hip you to a few “Contract Negotiations for Dummies” rules of vetting multi-million dollar military contracts that might help you better steer the ship of state towards the victory I know you Republicans all ache for.

For example, if the vice president of “Contractor Company A” is a licensed masseur, that is a bad sign. It’s a good sign if you’re feeling a bit achy and in need of therapy, but it doesn’t really bespeak a lot of military experience. Not unless that experience is in the army of Louis the XVI.

Another red flag to keep an eye out for: if the company you plan to supply arms to your allies operates out of an unmarked office in Miami, you’re probably going to want to get a receipt at minimum.  In a similar vein, if the president of the company is a 22 year old who has used his military contractor status to avoid prosecution in a domestic dispute, you’ll probably want to double-check that bill of sale.

Otherwise, you might end up with ammunition manufactured in China in 1966.  Lots more revelations today in the New York Times.