President Bush points to the latest RPI rankings which show Iraq as a greater threat than North Korea.

The RPI, or Rating Percentage Index, long used as a means to rank NCAA basketball teams, has come into vogue with the Bush national defense team as a way to identify and target the greatest national security threats.

The RPI ranks teams – and in the case of the Bush model, countries – based on winning percentage, schedule strength and opponent’s schedule strength.

Iraq, despite not having nuclear capabilities as North Korea does, received higher marks across the board from the RPI index, thus making it the top target for Bush and the military.

“Say what you will about Saddam Hussein and the Iraqis,” said a White House source, “but they’ve at least been on the playing field over the last few decades, whereas North Korea hasn’t really taken on anybody. That means something to both the RPI and President Bush.”

Iraq received its most RPI points from its schedule strength ratings, thanks to the 1980-1988 war with Iran and its war with the United States and its allies in 1990-1991.

“Taking on the U.S. and then more or less giving the finger to the U.N. for a decade put Iraq over the top,” said the source. “You don’t take on any bigger competition than that.”

Iraq also received RPI points in the winning percentage category for its history of killing Kurds living within the country.

North Korea, on the other hand, lost many rating points for its inaction on the war front since the 1950s.

“Sure, firing up a few test missiles to scare the South Koreans and Japanese might scare a few people,” said the source, “but that’s mid-major stuff. Until they show the resolve to actually attack someone they’re not going anywhere on our RPI threat list.”

Detractors of the RPI system are many and say that the system is flawed, both in its rankings of basketball teams and as a means for implementing foreign policy.

“The RPI index has BYU ranked above both Pitt and Maryland, so you can see how screwed up it is,” said Tom Daschle, Senate minority leader. “And as far as the North Korea-Iraq thing goes, North Korea has friggin’ nuclear capability. Plus, the country is run by a loony who could press the button and take out millions on a whim. Hussein is incapable of that.”