“what was the stated reason for such a dumb action??”
My personal theory is that members of Prime Minister 0’s regime have been in contact with al-Qaeda and have cut some kind of deal. Bolstering this theory is his stated intention to “negotiate” with the Taliban, so clearly he’s quite willing to make deals with terrorists. I may be off base, but I believe there’s something nefarious at work here. Also, notice how the state-run media (SRM), formerly known as the MSM, have avoided this issue?
I also notice the SRM have not carried the story about the preponderance of AIG bailout money (in many Billions) went to foreign banks as announced in same time frame as the bonus. Some might suggest the bonus story is a deliberate smokescreen to cover the worst debacle of AIG/Obama/Gaithner/Dodd!
that is - strengthening foreign banks at the expense of US banks - with US tax payers dollars.