What I found alternately poignant and infuriating was this section on Destination Baghdad Expo, a trade show that was schedule for May 25, 2004. Considered in relation to what was actually happening on the ground in Iraq at the time, it demonstrates just how the wildly incompetent Bush Administration put the cart before the horse and then backed them over a roadside bomb:
EXPO & Trade Show Organizer: IACCI is a significant player and the only independent and member funded organization in Iraq with a full time staff dedicated to organize trade shows in Iraq and outside Iraq. Destination Baghdad EXPO “DBX” is our first trade show which was scheduled for May 25th in Baghdad at the historic Baghdad International Fair and some $700,000 was spent to renovate and plan for the historic event which was named the “Grand Opening to Iraq” by the Coalition Provisional Authority “CPA” and was unfortunately postponed to a later date in 2004 for reasons beyond our control. Visit www.dbxexpo.com to see all 300 companies that committed to participate at this historic event like GE, GM, Mercedes, Microsoft, HP and Motorola and subsequently last June 25th, a smaller version of DBX was moved to Diyarbakir, Turkey to avoid security concerns. 130 companies exhibited at the Diyarbakir and the largest delegation of IACCI members, some 1500 where organized, visas, transportation, and accommodation was provided by IACCI. [emph added]Yes, Destination Baghdad Expo -- the Grand Opening to Iraq -- was held in Turkey.
The reasons beyond the control of the IACCI back in the spring of 2004 were eloquently summed up by George Bush in a rare prime time press conference: "This has been tough weeks in Iraq."
Indeed. Here's a partial list.
U.S. Troops Under Attack (April 4): Eight Americans die in coordinated attacks ordered by radical Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr. (April 5): U.S. troops raid Falluja in response to killing and mutilation on March 31 of four U.S. civilian contractors. (April 6): About a dozen U.S. Marines killed in Ramadi in battle with Sunni insurgents. (April 7): U.S. reports evidence that Shiites and Sunnis, former enemies, are uniting against the U.S.-led occupation. (April 11): U.S. orders cease-fire in Falluja. Two members of Iraqi Governing Council resign in protest of American offensive in Falluja. (April 19): U.S. officials say they will end the offensive in Falluja if insurgents agree to surrender their weapons. Forces Loyal to Afghan Warlord Take Over Province (April 8): Governor of Faryab Province steps down and flees when armed faction loyal to Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostrum takes control of several districts. Hostages Taken in Iraq (April 8): Iraqi militants say they will kill the hostages, three Japanese civilians, unless Japan withdraws troops from Iraq. Militants have also kidnapped nine other foreigners. (April 9): American contract worker Thomas Hamill taken hostage. (April 17): Number of hostages reaches about 40. Bin Laden Offers Truce to Europe (April 14): In a broadcast of an audiotape, a man believed to be Osama bin Laden says that terrorists will no longer target those nations that withdraw troops from Muslim nations. U.S. Troops Close Highways in Iraq (April 17): In an attempt to prevent ambushes by insurgents, soldiers block off two main roads leading to Baghdad. New Spanish Prime Minister Recalls Troops (April 18): One day after being sworn in as premier, José Luis RodrÃguez Zapatero orders soldiers back from Iraq as soon as possible. Leaders of Honduras and Dominican Republic later announce plans to withdraw troops. Car Bombs Kill Dozens in Iraq (April 21): Five coordinated suicide attacks in Basra kill 68 people. U.S. Rethinks Policy on Iraq Baath Party Officials (April 22): U.S. says that some Iraqi officials who were forced out of their jobs after the fall of Saddam Hussein will be allowed to resume their positions. Abuse Reported at Iraqi Prison (April 30): CBS's 60 Minutes II broadcasts graphic photos, taken in late 2003, of American soldiers grinning as they abuse Iraqis in the Abu Ghraib prison. Images spark outrage around the world, especially in the Middle East. Iraqi Force Takes Over Falluja (April 30): In an attempt to restore peace, U.S. Marines transfer security of volatile city to Iraqis. Jasim Muhammad Saleh, former general and member of Saddam Hussein's Republican Guard, takes command.And for the record, the four-lane, six-mile stretch of highway running from central Baghdad to the international airport still has not been secured.
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