Cronyism didn't work out so well with FEMA. After Bush showered Brownie with high marks and lavish praise, Brownie resigned under popular protest of his incompetence... but then FEMA refused to let Brownie off the payroll. (yes, that's right.)
Today, Bush nominated Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court. By many accounts Harriet is a real "brownie". The problem is, the SC job is a lifetime appointment. How many disasters do think could be created/exacerbated in a lifetime?