I Didn't Know This Mike Was On

There's this new trend among the Bush Administration. I believe it's called "flip-flopping." See, that's when you make one statement, and then later on you say the exact opposite, or (better) say you didn't say it. And for a group of strong and resolute Republicans, they sure are getting good at it!

First we have Donald Rumsfeld, being fitted for his muzzle until November 3rd presently:

Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld yesterday reversed his pre-war claim that Saddam's regime had a relationship with al-Qa'ida, which was one of the key stated reasons for the March 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Before the war, Mr Rumsfeld spoke of direct contact between the two groups as well as "credible evidence" that the terror network had sought to co-operate with Iraq over acquiring weapons of mass destruction.

Quizzed at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York yesterday, Mr Rumsfeld said: "To my knowledge, I have not seen any strong, hard evidence that links the two."

Then, after getting a barrage of "What were you thinking?" emails from Ken Mehlman and Matthew Dowd all day, Rummy penned his midnight confession:

A question I answered today at an appearance before the Council on Foreign Relations regarding ties between Al Qaeda and Iraq regrettably was misunderstood.

I have acknowledged since September 2002 that there were ties between Al Qaeda and Iraq.

This assessment was based upon points provided to me by then CIA Director George Tenet to describe the CIA's understanding of the Al Qaeda-Iraq relationship.
           
How exactly do you misunderstand "I have not seen any evidence linking the two?" And how do you then describe a bunch of strong, hard evidence linking the two?

But Rumsfeld's donning of the sandals is nothing compared to Paul Bremer, former US proconsul in Iraq.

L. Paul Bremer, speaking Monday at an insurance conference in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, said "horrid" looting was occurring when he arrived to head the U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority in Baghdad on May 6, 2003.

"We paid a big price for not stopping it because it established an atmosphere of lawlessness," Bremer said. "We never had enough troops on the ground."

When questioned about it, Bremer indicated that he "didn't know the remarks would be made public." Yeah, and I didn't know when I was talking that words would come out of my mouth.

This appears to be an end to Bremer's quest to head the State Department. A devastating Salon article out today mentions that Bremer has been trying to position himself as Secretary of State should Colin Powell step down should President Bush get a second term (perish the thought). Read the article, it basically makes the case that the neocons are trying to seep into Foggy Bottom as well as the Pentagon. Written by an anonymous foreign service officer, too.

I think John Kerry could probably learn something from these flip-floppers about how it's really done.

UPDATE: Bremer apparently made a speech at DePauw University in Indiana last month, where he said pretty much the same thing he said in West Virginia:

Earlier, at a student forum this afternoon in Meharry Hall, the ambassador admitted, "The single most important change -- the one thing that would have improved the situation -- would have been having more troops in Iraq at the beginning and throughout... Although I raised this issue a number of times with our government, I should have been even more insistent."

I guess he didn't know people would be listening to him at that one, either.