[Political Junkie Too]

Incompetence does not adequately explain it, and therefore as a professional in the industry I have to ascribe a certain purposefulness to the disaster unfolding.

I think I read elsewhere that Obama had a certain "Manhattan Project" attitude about this, compartmentalizing the requirements and delaying the sharing of it until after the 2012 elections, because he didn't want to give the GOP any campaign fodder.

It's the same reason that Harry Reid wouldn't pass a budget in the Senate - he didn't want to give the GOP any campaign issues.

So, I don't think the "malevolence" was an attempt to sabotage the project. I it think it was a fear of opponents finding out the details, and so they withheld the details from the programmers for as long as they could get away with.

And now we see the results.

-PJ

[OneWingedShark]

It's [compartmentalization] the same reason that Harry Reid wouldn't pass a budget in the Senate - he didn't want to give the GOP any campaign issues.

So why is it Bohner seems utterly incapable/reluctant to take a stand on anything?

[Robert Teesdale]

I think I read elsewhere that Obama had a certain "Manhattan Project" attitude about this, compartmentalizing the requirements and delaying the sharing of it until after the 2012 elections, because he didn't want to give the GOP any campaign fodder.

That's probably true.

It's the same reason that Harry Reid wouldn't pass a budget in the Senate - he didn't want to give the GOP any campaign issues.

Ditto, same approach.

So, I don't think the "malevolence" was an attempt to sabotage the project. I it think it was a fear of opponents finding out the details, and so they withheld the details from the programmers for as long as they could get away with.

Noted, but I disagree that "adequately explains" with incompetence. It simply presents as too big of a fail to be that simple.

And now we see the results.

Yes, and whether planned or unplanned, the results are ugly.