The Squeaky Wheel and $4 Billion in Grease

It pays to speak up. A week after a soldier questioned Defense Secreatry Donald Rumsfeld about the lack of armored trucks and Humvees in Iraq, the Army is spending $4 billion to rush more armored vehicles to the region. The "up armored" vehicles get high praise from troops. They make a big difference when a homemade bomb goes off beside the vehicle. A standard Humvee may only have sheetmetal doors and cloth tops. Not much protection from insurgents. (Houston Chronicle)