It doesn't seem that _that_ loan was a terrible deal. It was a loan and it was repaid. The upside to citizens was probably evaluated under different terms - t

It doesn't seem that _that_ loan was a terrible deal. It was a loan and it was repaid. The upside to citizens was probably evaluated under different terms - the development of a nascent industry that could pay social dividends over time in the form of jobs, oil security, etc... (whether that's an appropriate function for government is an entirely different concern).