Bremer's Letters Debunk Bush on Iraq Army Dissolution
by FishOutofWater
Mon Sep 03, 2007 at 08:51:04 PM PDT
President Bush recently was quoted in a book saying he wanted to keep the Iraqi Army intact but a series of letters proves he was briefed on the dissolution of the army by Paul Bremmer.
Paul Bremer released the letters to the press because he did not want to take the blame for decisions made by the White House.
Mr. Bremer provided the letters to The New York Times on Monday after reading that Mr. Bush was quoted in a new book as saying that American policy had been "to keep the army intact" but that it "didn’t happen."
The dismantling of the Iraqi Army in the aftermath of the American invasion is now widely regarded as a mistake that stoked rebellion among hundreds of thousands of former Iraqi soldiers and made it more difficult to reduce sectarian bloodshed and attacks by insurgents. In releasing the letters, Mr. Bremer said he wanted to refute the suggestion in Mr. Bush’s comment that Mr. Bremer had acted to disband the army without the knowledge and concurrence of the White House.
“We must make it clear to everyone that we mean business: that Saddam and the Baathists are finished,” Mr. Bremer wrote in a letter that was drafted on May 20, 2003, and sent to the president on May 22 through Donald H. Rumsfeld, then secretary of defense.
As usual, Mr. Bush is trying to blame others for his decisions. He's the decider, but he's not responsible.
Update - One letter:
http://www.nytimes.com/ref/washington/04bremer-text1.html?ref=washingtonThe dissolution of his chosen instrument of political domination, the Baath Party, has been very well received. Several Iraqis have told me, literally with tears in their eyes, that they have waited 30 years for this moment. While the resulting dismissal of public servants has caused some inefficiencies and griping, in most cases younger civil servants have expressed pleasure, even joy, at the measure. (At a minimum they are attracted to the prospect of promotion opportunities.) I will parallel this step with an even more robust measure dissolving Saddam's military and intelligence structures to emphasize that we mean business. We are seeing signs that the outlawed organizations are behind some of the street violence here.
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/9/3/234041/1492