Today’s Must Read

It’s a quandary. Is L. Paul Bremer, the former head of the Coalition Provisional Authority, being unfairly scapegoated as the reason for U.S. failure in Iraq? Or is he just the man responsible for some of the most disastrous decisions made in the aftermath of the invasion? Hopefully, this morning’s congressional hearing will provide an answer.

The Washington Post‘s Rajiv Chandrasekaran (who wrote the book on the CPA’s incompetence) lays it out:

The last time L. Paul Bremer testified before Congress, he was lauded as an American hero. Rep. Ander Crenshaw (R-Fla.) congratulated Bremer, who was leading the U.S. occupation authority in Iraq, for a “tremendous success.” Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del.) commended his “energy and focus.” Sen. Pete V. Domenici (R-N.M.) praised his “brilliant analysis.”

When Bremer returns to Capitol Hill today to appear before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, he will receive a far less effusive reception than he did in September 2003….

For many Republicans, who believe they must acknowledge mistakes if they want to increase public support for continued U.S. military involvement in Iraq, defending Bremer may be too much to ask. Even senior Bush administration officials who were once effusive in their descriptions of Bremer privately point to some of his decisions as key errors….

Some who worked for Bremer in Baghdad contend that he is a scapegoat for Bush administration decisions that were out of his control….

The criticism of Bremer is often indirect, but the implication is clear. When Army Lt. Gen. David H. Petraeus, now the top military commander in Iraq, testified before the Senate last month, he called the occupation authority’s “de-Baathification” and dissolution of Iraq’s army two of the most “significant mistakes the U.S. has made to date in Iraq.” Bremer made both decisions in Baghdad without extensive consultation with the State Department, the National Security Council or other U.S. government agencies….

[Rep. Chris Shays (R-CT)] indicated that GOP committee members are inclined to take a dim view of decisions other than the expenditure of oil money, particularly the dissolution of the Iraqi army and de-Baathification.

In those cases, “it’s hard to imagine a lot of members coming to his defense,” one congressional GOP official said. “He’s got to defend himself.”

Get your popcorn!