Absolutely. On one hand, it is entirely to easy to look back or even laterally at the decisions people make and fault them for choices driven by circumstances

Absolutely. On one hand, it is entirely to easy to look back or even laterally at the decisions people make and fault them for choices driven by circumstances that may not be obvious. On the other hand, there are plenty of people whose justification for such decisions begins and ends with how well it fits in their own comfort zone and/or how it affects their headcount. Both of these things are prevalent in Government. It's a serious balancing act to navigate those forces in managing or reforming existing systems - far harder than building the same with a clean slate. The materials to come out of the USDS so far have been right on point so I feel confident that this part will receive the same sort of attention, but I have noticed the seeming absence of attention to O&M thus far.