XML Hell

I'm currently being bedeviled by some interesting XML to parse. To wit:


<myObject>
<this value=fred>
</this>
<that value=barney>
</that>
</myObject>


Ok, you can parse this, but why would you want to? Shouldn't this be:


<myObject this=fred that=barney>
</myObject>


Or even:


<myObject this=fred that=barney />


It's like they were being paid by the character...