Getting The Stories Straight

Minister mentioned this in the comments, but L. Paul Bremer is refusing to be the fall guy for George Bush's massive incompetence, producing documentary evidence that the President knew all about the disbanding of the Iraqi Army.

"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.

After recounting American efforts to remove members of the Baath Party of Saddam Hussein from civilian agencies, Mr. Bremer told Mr. Bush that he would “parallel this step with an even more robust measure” to dismantle the Iraq military.

One day later, Mr. Bush wrote back a short thank you letter. “Your leadership is apparent,” the president wrote. “You have quickly made a positive and significant impact. You have my full support and confidence.”

It strained credulity that Bremer, who is no saint, just made that decision on his own. He was in Iraq for just weeks at the time that he made the order, and was getting most of his information from Rummy and the Pentagon.

This is a case of everybody trying to blame everybody else for the purposes of keeping their lagacy intact. Hey, I've got news for you guys: NONE OF YOU are going to come out of this looking good. In fact, the only way it'll go without mobs carrying torches chasing you everywhere you go is by acknowledging your mistakes.