Another Ingrate Surfaces

As the rule of the current administration finally begins to draw to a close, more and more of the disgruntled former minions have stepped forward to detail just how morally and intellectually bankrupt the Bush White House actually has been. The latest entrant in the FFOG (Former Friends Of George) club is Paul Bremer. He's decided he doesn't want the full blame for the dismantling of the Iraqi military (whose soldiers were allowed to keep their weapons) after the US invasion. I've been perusing some of the stories about his response to President Bush's assertion in a recently published book that Mr. Bush intended to keep the military intact and he doesn't quite recall how it was it was disbanded. I finally found one that used the "L" word. That article, of course, was not found in a US publication. It came from the U.K.'s Daily Mail.

President Bush was effectively branded a liar yesterday after suggesting that the disastrous disbandment of the Iraqi army was carried out in defiance of White House policy.

The accusation came from Paul Bremer who was Mr Bush's senior envoy charged with overseeing Iraq's reconstruction after the invasion. ...

A book published yesterday contained a claim by Mr Bush that he had intended "to keep the army intact" but that it "didn't happen".

Fingers of blame have been pointed at Mr Bremer. He hit back angrily by insisting that Mr Bush was told in advance of the plan to dismantle the Iraqi military in the chaotic aftermath of the invasion.

Mr. Bremer made it clear that he had mentioned the plan in a letter sent to Bush in June, 2003, and that the plan had been thoroughly discussed with other administration members.

Mr Bremer indicated he had been fuming for months over attempts by senior Bush officials to distance themselves from the order.

He said he had discussed the proposal several times with former defence chief Donald Rumsfeld.

He had also consulted with Rumsfeld's then deputy, Paul Wolfowitz, as well as the head of U.S forces in Iraq and the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

He also said he discussed it with senior British military officials. "This didn't just pop out of my head," he told the New York Times.

So, Mr. Bremer, you've been had. Of course, you do have to take a substantial part of the blame for all of the miscues following the misbegotten and illegal invasion. You willingly took part in it. But, after serving in this administration you surely should have been aware of the fact that this president has never taken responsibility for any failure in his life. That's not his style. Why are you so shocked now?

If it weren't for the fact that thousands of people have died or been maimed because of this administration, I would be enjoying all of this soap opera a whole helluva lot more than I am.