plot holes

[JediRaver]

Okay, after seeing the movie countless times, and now having read the book, I'm still confused. (although the book does go considerable deeper than the movie).

Why did the Tusken Raiders kidnap Shmi? And What were they doing with her for an entire month?

Why did Sifo-Dyas order the Clone army? Was it really because he wanted to protect the Republic? Or was he aligned with the Sith?

How did Sifo-Dyas pay for the Clone army? I assume an army doesn't come cheap.

Did Dooku know that Jango was the source for the Clone army?

[Khamul Aulendil]

From Wookiepedia:

"Sifo-Dyas was once a good friend of fellow Master Dooku, and had the gift of precognition. He predicted the coming war, and knew the Galactic Republic would soon face dark times.

Sifo-Dyas secretly commissioned a clone army on Kamino, ostensibly to defend the Republic. Prior to this, Dooku had left the Jedi Order, and had fallen in league with Darth Sidious. He was told by the Sith Master about Sifo-Dyas' actions, and Sidious also revealed that they could use the clone army for their own ends. As a final test of his allegiance to the dark side of the Force, Dooku murdered Sifo-Dyas and took control of the project for himself. It was Sidious' true intention to use Sifo-Dyas only as a dead-end cover for Palpatine's order of a clone army. "

According to this article Dooku freezes the dead body of Sifo-Dyas and later transfuse his blood into General Grievous

[Khamul Aulendil]

About Shmi:

"Just a month before the onset of the Clone Wars, Tusken Raiders began attacking outlying moisture farms. One morning, Shmi went out to pick vaporator mushrooms from the moisture vaporators, but was captured by a group of Tuskens on her way home. Cliegg assembled a search team in an attempt to locate her, but ended up losing more than half of the team and his right leg. After a month, he decided to give up the search, believing Shmi to be dead. In actuality, Shmi was still, just barely, alive—severely beaten and dehydrated, holding on to her memories of Anakin in an effort to stay alive. Shmi’s resilience fascinated the Tusken Raiders, prompting them to try other methods of torturing; however, it only strengthened her resolve to live long enough to see her son. During her captivity, Shmi often reached out to Anakin, hoping that he’d come and rescue her.[14]"

[Khamul Aulendil]

The article is huge but Wookiepedia says that Dooku(Tyranus) is the one that chooses Jango to be cloned.

[JediRaver]

who paid for them?

[Khamul Aulendil]

I can't find anything specific but it would have to be Palpatine. Here's a blurb about Kaminoans:

After the disastrous end of an ice age on Kamino known as the Great Flood, Kaminoan society was pushed to the brink of extinction. Only through the development of a mastery over selective breeding, genetics, and cloning were the Kaminoans able to survive. The calculating instincts of survival required of the Kaminoans produced heavy marks upon their late form culture. Kaminoans were minimalist in their designs perfectionists to the point of intolerance. The impact of the harsh adaptations the Kaminoans were subjected to is also viewable in their inward focus and isolationism. Kaminoans focused on little else than their cloning and interacted with offworlders as little as possible.

"It was with great trepidation, therefore, that the Kaminoans began to offer their cloning services and genetic proficiency in exchange for essential imports. The select few clients that received the work of Kaminoan geneticists received perfect clones to suit their needs. The Kaminoans took great pride in their scientific breakthroughs, but gave little thought to the ethics of their work or the consequences of their deployment"

[JediRaver]

The book Labyrinth of Evil reveals that Dooku paid for the clones

[Khamul Aulendil]

How does Dooku have that kind of scratch?

[JediRaver]

Turns out the "Count" in his title is no joke. He's decedent from royalty and money. After he left the Jedi Order, he reclaimed his rightful title as Count Dooku of Sereno (or something like that) and inherited his vast fortune, which he wisely invested and turned into even more fortune.