This Time excerpt on unqualified Bush Administration appointments pretty much sums it up. The only thing I can add is that no one was putting David Safavian down when he was the nominee to take over the job of federal procurement policy chief at the White House…. It was all “kiss, kiss” for him as he was about to take the reins and begin setting policy on how the government spends $300 billion on contracts and purchasing each year.
But, of course, courage and truthful candor is a rare commodity these days. People weren’t prepared to speak their minds when Safavian was on the rise, but apparently, they are lining up to kick him now that he’s down:

A dozen procurement experts interviewed by Time said he was the most unqualified person to hold the job since its creation in 1974. Nevertheless, Safavian’s April 2004 confirmation hearing before the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee (attended by only five of the panel’s 17 members) lasted just 67 minutes, and not a single question was asked about his qualifications.