:::Cyclopia, I appreciate your attempt to find common ground, but to be honest, the meaning of the word looting is theft as per the Wiktionary definition. Following the thread, there are two possibilities here: 
 * Does the word looting neutrally describe illegal appropriation by people in authority? 
 * Is it used as a metaphor for that phenomenon? 
 Clearly it is used as a metaphor. It is especially powerful as a metaphor, exactly because its meaning is group theft. In this way, the word conjures up the image of a pillaging mob not restrained by any authority. That is precisely the image Benjamin believes people should have when thinking about Bush, Iraq, Ken Lay, etc. Even if we come to the conclusion that the word is a neutral description for the phenomenon, then we would still have a discussion on whether certain events do constitute illegal appropriation by people in authority. And only if Benjamin manages to find a Wiki consensus that it is NPOV for instance to say that Bush illegally appropriated Iraq's oil, only then could we put it into this entry.