Still half-assing his way through history

It's extra painful to head-bang and jaw-drop simultaneously, so strap yourself in before reading Paul Bremer's New York Times op/ed piece.

First, the title: In Iraq, Wrongs Made a Right.

That's right — a right. A discrete right. A solitary right. A lone right. Just one right. Unfortunately, Bremer never gets around to identifying the "right" that's been finely wrought out of so many wrongs. Like so much else, we'll just have to take his word for it.

Oh, and about those wrongs. Funny, they aren't really Bremer's mistakes. Take de-Baathification, for example.

The error was that I left the implementation of the policy to a political body within the nascent Iraqi government….

Of course. He fucked up. He trusted them.

As for the abysmal failure to meet the everyday needs of Iraqis, Bremer concedes that we "placed too much emphasis on large-scale reconstruction projects."

Bremer manfully takes responsibility for what really slowed down the larger projects, like a super highway system. No, the delays were not caused by the bombs, bullets, and executions of the insurgency but those g-damned rules and regulations that followed him from Washington.

To speed up those larger projects, I should have also insisted on exemption from the usual bureaucratic and contracting rules.

Now that's a truly bizarre statement for Bremer to make considering that billions went missing during his brief rule.

Oh, and America, L. Paul Bremer III is giving us fair warning. Next time, he expects us to be good scouts, plan ahead, and be prepared.

Another clear lesson is that the United States must be better prepared for the post-conflict phase should we find ourselves in similar military situations in the future.

God help us.

Update Have you too ever wondered "[w]hat preturnatural calm or prescription sedative can bestow such equanimity having presided over a World Historical car wreck?" If yes, then you'll enjoy DrLeoStrauss's examination of Bremer (and his good bud Bush) in "The Banality of Freedom."