Screwing up a War

It's all Bremer's fault. Harken back to the early days of the Iraq invasion when Bush Administration officials proudly proclaimed that "we make our own realities." This in a nutshell is the way big corporations do business. It's quite common of for a company to simply proclaim that the new CEO is in charge, clean house, and commence with profit making. Bremer treated Iraq like he was the new CEO in charge, cleaned house, but in this case, along with the profit making, complete chaos ensued. It's a price we're still paying. From the Progress Report on Jan. 16:

On May 16, 2003, just four days after then-U.S. administrator of Iraq L. Paul Bremer arrived in Baghdad, he issued a sweeping order that outlawed Saddam Hussein's Baath Party and dismissed all senior members from their government posts. Bremer's order, the first he issued as the top American in Iraq, "led to the firing of about 30,000 ex-Baathists from various ministries" and ended "up affecting a lot more people than intended and turning a lot of people into enemies" of the United States. Before issuing his order, Bremer had been warned by the CIA's Baghdad station chief that the move would "drive tens of thousands of Baathists underground by nightfall," but Bremer said that "it's not open for discussion." Days after issuing his initial de-Baathification directive, Bremer issued a second order dissolving Iraq's 500,000-member military and intelligence services. This pair of orders is considered "the original sin that led to Iraq's current turmoil," as it "crippled Iraq's institutions of governance and security and created half a million angry and jobless people in the process," ripe "for recruitment by insurgent and militia groups."

Or maybe it was just a misunderstanding all the way around. Here are some comments from President Bush yesterday.

"But yeah, look, I'm sure people view me as a warmonger and I view myself as peacemaker."

"I mean, when this democracy in Iraq solidifies and emerges and is whole, people will understand what I meant about the democracy agenda."

Bush said he still believes that freedom and democracy are possible in the region, and will ultimately be the way to bring an end to terrorism against the United States.

"Look, I know I've been accused of being a hopeless idealist. On the other hand, I don't see any alternative, if you believe it's an ideological struggle. . . .

Bush said he had something to prove on his trip. But, he said, "it's not so much to prove for my sake. It's really to prove for peace."

How does he intend to turn his image around? "You just have to fight through stereotypes by actions," he said, adding that he intends to let "the results speak for themselves. . . .

Seems that Bush is still searching for a "legacy." He's very sure about what he intends it to be. He seems to be absolutely sure that his version of reality will win the day. He's the CEO of the largest corporate entity in the world and he's the decider. If he's says he's a peacemaker, then by God, he's a peacemaker! To echo this very same wise man, "the results speak for themselves."