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March 19, 2008, 0:00 a.m. Facts for FeithCPA history. By L. Paul Bremer III A recent article in the Washington Post previewed the forthcoming book by former undersecretary of defense Douglas Feith. In his book Feith apparently alleges that I was responsible for what he calls the single biggest mistake the United States made in Iraq. He claims that I unilaterally abandoned the president’s policy, promoted by Feith and others before the war, to grant sovereignty to a group of Iraqi exiles immediately after Saddam’s defeat. On March 16, Richard Perle of the American Enterprise Institute elaborated on this...

The Skinny is Keach Hagey's take on the top news of the day and the best of the Internet. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Just whose brilliant idea was it to disband the Iraqi army? The former U.S. boss of Iraq, L. Paul Bremer, says President Bush knew about and supported his plans to dissolve Saddam's military, according to letters he released to the New York Times yesterday. Annoyed that Bush was quoted in a recent book as suggesting that he had gone a bit Rambo out in the desert, Bremer disclosed his spring 2003 correspondence with the president. The impetus for Bremer's action...

<p>Once conventional wisdom congeals, even facts can't shake it loose.</p> <p>These days, everyone "knows'' that the Coalition Provisional Authority made two disastrous decisions at the beginning of the US occupation of Iraq: to vengefully drive members of the Baath Party from public life and to recklessly disband the Iraqi army.</p>

Once conventional wisdom congeals, even facts can't shake it loose. These days, everyone "knows" that the Coalition Provisional Authority made two disastrous decisions at the beginning of the U.S. occupation of Iraq: to vengefully drive members of the Baath Party from public life and to recklessly disband the Iraqi army. The most recent example is former CIA chief George J. Tenet, whose new memoir pillories me for those decisions (even though I don't recall his ever objecting to either call during our numerous conversations in my 14 months leading the CPA). Similar charges are unquestioningly repeated in books and articles....

L. Paul Bremmer THE recent debate set off by the publication of my book about my time in Iraq has shed more heat than light.... And while I had concerns about the quality of Iraqi forces two years ago, their training has since been revamped. Today they are playing an increasingly important role in defending Iraq. Despite the missteps and setbacks, there is little question that, thanks to efforts by the American-led coalition, enormous political and economic progress is being made in Iraq today. ... Iraqis voted in the country's first genuine elections. Then they wrote and approved a new...

L. Paul Bremer, who led the U.S. civilian occupation authority in Iraq after the 2003 invasion, urged U.S. President George W. Bush and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to increase U.S. postwar troop strength in the country, but his pleas were ignored, the former diplomat said. In an interview on NBC Television broadcast Sunday night, Bremer said he sent a memo to Rumsfeld suggesting that half a million soldiers would be needed, three times the number deployed by the Bush administration. "I never had any reaction from him," Bremer told Brian Williams". Bremer, on a media blitz in connection with release...

...Despite the amazing progress in Iraq in two short years, some armchair experts carp that we should have moved even faster. Frankly, it's hard to understand what they are thinking.... From the outset, the Coalition recognized that democracy requires more than just elections. We judged that we had a special obligation to help Iraqis design a political and legal structure to guide Iraq's journey from tyranny to democracy. The result, after three months of intense negotiations and compromise, was the interim constitution. This revolutionary document addresses three crucial areas. First, the Coalition insisted that checks and balances guard against the...

Has anyone ever said something about you that wasn't true? Something that, if people believed it, would significantly damage your reputation? How would you feel if you saw that falsehood printed on the front page of the Los Angeles Times? Would it make things right if the paper later retracted the false statement — with a brief correction buried inside the paper? For some, this is not a hypothetical question. Just ask L. Paul Bremer III, Antonin Scalia or the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. Last year, The Times suggested on Page 1 that Bremer was a coward: "L. Paul...

(AP) President Bush awarded the nation's highest civilian honor Tuesday to three men central to his Iraq policy, saying they had played "pivotal roles in great events." Mr. Bush presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom to retid Gen. Tommy Franks, who oversaw combat in Afghanistan and the initial invasion of Iraq, former CIA Director George Tenet and former Iraq administrator L. Paul Bremer. Franks is a retired four-star Army general who commanded U.S. forces in Afghanistan and Iraq. He didn't decide until last summer to endorse Mr. Bush's re-election, but then spoke on the president's behalf at the Republican National...

TODAY'S HIGHLIGHT: GWB awarded the nation's highest civilian honor -- the Presidential Medal of Freedom -- Ambassador L. Paul "Jerry" Bremer, former CIA Director George Tenet, and retired U.S. Army General Tommy Franks. QUOTE OF THE DAY: General Tommy Franks was raised in Midland, Texas -- nothing wrong with that. (Laughter.) I didn't know him then, but Laura and he went to the same high school. In those days, some people in Midland wondered about Tommy's future. It sounds familiar. (Laughter.) At a recent high school reunion, Tommy's old principal told the General, "You weren't the brightest bulb in the...

Bush has chosen retired Gen. Tommy Franks, who oversaw combat in Afghanistan and the initial invasion of Iraq, former CIA Director George Tenet and former Iraq administrator L. Paul Bremer to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The president will hand out the awards at a White House ceremony Dec. 14, press secretary Scott McClellan said.

WASHINGTON - President Bush (news - web sites) is awarding the nation's highest civilian honor to three men central to his Iraq (news - web sites) policy, the White House announced Thursday.   Bush has chosen retired Gen. Tommy Franks, who oversaw combat in Afghanistan (news - web sites) and the initial invasion of Iraq, former CIA (news - web sites) Director George Tenet and former Iraq administrator L. Paul Bremer to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The president will hand out the awards at a White House ceremony Dec. 14, press secretary Scott McClellan said. Franks is a...

Bremer: Bush Is Still Right About Iraq Apparently tired of how the media establishment and its pet John Kerry have distorted his recent remarks on Iraq, former administrator L. Paul Bremer III has a column today in the worst offender, the New York Times. Among his points: # "The press has been curiously reluctant to report my constant public support for the president's strategy in Iraq. "I have been involved in the war on terrorism for two decades, and in my view no world leader has better understood the stakes in this global war than President Bush.” # "The president...

What I Really Said About Iraq The recent coverage of some remarks I've made about Iraq has elicited far more heat than light, so I believe it's important to put my remarks in the correct context. By L. PAUL BREMER III In recent days, attention has been focused on some remarks I've made about Iraq. The coverage of these remarks has elicited far more heat than light, so I believe it's important to put my remarks in the correct context. In my speeches, I have said that the United States paid a price for not stopping the looting in Iraq...

n recent days, attention has been focused on some remarks I've made about Iraq. The coverage of these remarks has elicited far more heat than light, so I believe it's important to put my remarks in the correct context. In my speeches, I have said that the United States paid a price for not stopping the looting in Iraq in the immediate aftermath of major combat operations and that we did not have enough troops on the ground to accomplish that task. The press and critics of the war have seized on these remarks in an effort to undermine...

In recent days, attention has been focused on some remarks I've made about Iraq. The coverage of these remarks has elicited far more heat than light, so I believe it's important to put my remarks in the correct context. In my speeches, I have said that the United States paid a price for not stopping the looting in Iraq in the immediate aftermath of major combat operations and that we did not have enough troops on the ground to accomplish that task. The press and critics of the war have seized on these remarks in an effort to undermine President...

OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR In recent days, attention has been focused on some remarks I've made about Iraq. The coverage of these remarks has elicited far more heat than light, so I believe it's important to put my remarks in the correct context. In my speeches, I have said that the United States paid a price for not stopping the looting in Iraq in the immediate aftermath of major combat operations and that we did not have enough troops on the ground to accomplish that task. The press and critics of the war have seized on these remarks in an effort to...

Former viceroy L. Paul Bremer did 14 months of hard service in Iraq, so it is a special shame to see that he is now squandering that legacy by blaming others for what's gone wrong there.... Mr. Bremer revised his remarks: "I believe that we currently have sufficient troop levels in Iraq." ...Trouble is, we haven't found a single other senior official involved in the war or its aftermath -- in or out of uniform -- who attests to Mr. Bremer's version of events. "I never heard him ask for more troops and he had many opportunities before the President...

America's former proconsul in Baghdad delivered a damning critique of the Bush administration's policy on Iraq yesterday, saying the US had made two grave errors of judgment in the early days of the war. Paul Bremer, who was America's most senior official in Baghdad until the handover last June, said the US committed two major blunders which compromised the course of events in Iraq: it went to war without enough troops and it did not contain the looting and violence after Saddam Hussein's regime fell. "We paid a big price for not stopping it because it established an atmosphere of...

Former viceroy L. Paul Bremer did 14 months of hard service in Iraq, so it is a special shame to see that he is now squandering that legacy by blaming others for what's gone wrong there. All the more so when he doesn't even have the history right. That's our reaction to yesterday's political tempest over quotes from Mr. Bremer faulting the Pentagon and Bush Administration for having too few troops in Iraq. To hear Mr. Bremer's version of it, he arrived in Baghdad on May 6, 2003, to find "horrid" looting and instability, and an "atmosphere of lawlessness" that...

WASHINGTON - The White House staunchly defended its Iraq (news - web sites) policy Tuesday as new questions emerged about President Bush (news - web sites)'s prewar decisions and postwar planning: An impending weapons report undercut the administration's main rationale for the war, and the former head of the American occupation said the United States had too few troops in Iraq after the invasion. Four weeks before Election Day, Democrat John Kerry (news - web sites) pounced on the acknowledgment by former Iraq administrator Paul Bremer that the United States had "paid a big price" for insufficient troop levels. Kerry...

WASHINGTON - The United States did not have enough troops in Iraq (news - web sites) after ousting Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) and "paid a big price" for it, says the former head of the U.S. occupation there. L. Paul Bremer said Monday that he arrived in Iraq on May 6, 2003 to find "horrid" looting and a very unstable situation. "We paid a big price for not stopping it because it established an atmosphere of lawlessness," Bremer said during an address to an insurance group in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va. The group released a summary of his...

Paul Bremer says the thought of his new home in Chester, Vermont is what got him through his 14 months in Iraq. "I love it. I've always liked Vermont. What's nice is the contrast. It's green and you don't see a lot of green in Iraq. It's pretty brown and dusty." Bremer and his wife bought their home here a year ago, just two weeks before he was called to Iraq. He was the United States' top representative there, in charge of setting up the new government and rebuilding the country. His post ended on June 28th, when the U.S....

<p>WHEN L. PAUL BREMER, fresh from stepping down as American regent in Iraq, visited the White House on June 30, he was greeted by President Bush with a bear hug. Half-jokingly, Bush insisted a White House photographer take a picture of them and drew attention to the signature soft leather boots Bremer wears with a coat, tie, dress shirt, and cufflinks. As the two walked outside from the Oval Office to the Old Executive Office Building, Bush spotted press photographers and immediately threw his arm around Bremer in a gesture of public support. Later that day, Bremer joined the president for a workout in the presidential gym, just as he had last November during an earlier visit to the White House.</p>

More cases of possible mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners have come to Congress' attention and need investigation by the Pentagon, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee said Thursday. Sen. John Warner, R-Va., also said that L. Paul Bremer, the former head of the American-led occupation in Iraq, may testify about prison abuse at a congressional hearing next week. "I'm not trying to, you know, drop a little hint here. I'm just saying ... each day that comes along, new incidents that occurred in the past" are revealed and will need to be investigated, Warner said. Despite a number of...

On June 28, Paul Bremer gave a farewell speech as he stepped down as U.S. administrator in Iraq. Some Iraqis, at least, found the talk moving. Ali Fadhil, 34, a resident in pediatrics at a Baghdad hospital, watched it on television with a group in the cafeteria. He said Bremer's words choked up even a onetime supporter of April's Shiite uprising. We have this information about the Bremer speech because Fadhil and his brothers are bloggers who file their own reports on the Internet ( iraqthemodel.blogspot.com). I had never heard of "Iraq the Model," but Margaret Wylie of Newhouse News...

In an article meant to assert outgoing civilian administrator Paul Bremer had a distant relationship with the Iraqi people, the Los Angeles Times falsely claimed he departed without addressing the nation. The paper said Bremer "left without even giving a final speech to the country -- almost as if he were afraid to look in the eye the people he had ruled for more than a year." But Bremer in fact delivered a speech broadcast on Iraqi TV, which was covered by the U.S. media. The Times addressed the error, but did not necessarily correct itself, reported Fox News host...

Media: The U.S. administrator said goodbye to the Iraqis, and at least some were moved by his words. It was the type of story that the prestige press tries to ignore.Actually, two influential dailies, The Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times, did more than ignore Paul Bremer's speech. They simply denied that it occurred. Bremer's remarks aired on Arab-language TV on June 28, the day the U.S. restored Iraqi sovereignty. One Iraqi, a 33-year-old Baghdad physician named Ali who runs the Iraq the Model Web log with his two brothers, reported how a busy hall went quiet when Bremer...

From Wapo's man in Baghdad We have received a message from the Washington Post's man in Baghdad, Rajiv Chandrasekaran, regarding Ambassador Bremer's farewell address. It's a long message, but of sufficient interest and importance that I'm simply posting the message in its entirety below: For those of you who have been interested in the subject of why The Washington Post reported that U.S. administrator L. Paul Bremer did not deliver a "farewell address" before departing Iraq on June 28, let me provide some detail and context. I am The Post's bureau chief in Baghdad and the author of the article...

Los Angeles Times Reporter Defends the Indefensible This is a follow-up to my post yesterday, in which I noted that the Los Angeles Times had falsely claimed on its front page that Paul Bremer had failed to give a farewell speech to Iraq -- and implied that this alleged failure was due to cowardice: L. Paul Bremer III, the civilian administrator for Iraq, left without even giving a final speech to the country — almost as if he were afraid to look in the eye the people he had ruled for more than a year.Although I rarely write the Reader's...

WASHINGTON — The former top U.S. administrator in Iraq said Sunday that the country's new democracy would be "sloppy and messy" as the interim government confronts a continuing insurgency. L. Paul Bremer (search) said he would give Iraq's interim government high marks so far for its approach to insurgents.

On Sept. 8, 2003, Bush administration officials awoke to find that Paul Bremer III had written an op-ed piece in The Washington Post laying out a seven-step plan for the democratization of Iraq. Bremer hadn't cleared the piece with his higher-ups in the Pentagon or the White House, and here he was describing a drawn-out American occupation. Iraqis would take their time writing a constitution, and would eventually have elections and take control of their country. For some Bush officials, this was the lowest period of the entire Iraq project. They knew they couldn't sustain an occupation for that long,...

Former Iraq administrator L. Paul Bremer said yesterday's televised images of Saddam Hussein arraigned before an Iraqi judge in a Baghdad courtroom marked a milestone for the fledgling government.     "It's hard if you haven't been there to realize the emotions that surround Saddam among Iraqis," Mr. Bremer told editors and reporters of The Washington Times in an hourlong interview conducted at the Old Executive Office Building.     "It's an extremely emotional thing for Iraqis to see Saddam as they saw him today, facing a justice that he denied his own people."     As the trial progresses and the new government finds its...

A London-based Arabic-language newspaper says Paul Bremer's speedy departure from Iraq the same day as the turnover of power to the new Baghdad government is because he left a 35-year-old Iraqi lover behind. Bremer, 63, is married with two children. He spent a year in Iraq as the U.S. administrator overseeing the transition to autonomy, which came two days before yesterday's deadline set by President Bush. Bremer did surprise many, including most of his staff, by leaving the same day for the United States. According to the report in Al-Hayat, the unnamed woman worked in the presidential protocol office during...

WASHINGTON (AP) - The new government of Iraq faces daunting obstacles in restoring security and tranquility, but Prime Minister Iyad Illawi is "a tough guy" and can do the job, the former U.S. administrator said Wednesday. Standing on the North Lawn of the White House for appearances on several morning network news shows, L. Paul Bremer III voiced confidence that the new Iraqi government will surmount violence and stabilize conditions on the ground. "The most important priority of this new government is, of course, security," he said on CBS's "The Early Show." "They must get security down to the level...

President Bush met with the former U.S. administrator in Iraq, L. Paul Bremer III, after they both met with Iraq-Americans regarding the current situation in Iraq. Sudan: The Bush Administration called on all parties to the conflict in Darfur to adhere to the ceasefire, to respect the rights of civilians, to allow the free movement of humanitarian workers and relief supplies, and to work in good faith toward a negotiated settlement. President Directs Powell To Travel to Sudan Short on pictures today but there are a few newcomers from the NATO summit. Enjoy your visit to the Dose @ Sanity...

BAGHDAD, Iraq, June 28 — In a surprise, secret ceremony that was hastily convened to decrease the chances of more violence, United States officials today handed over sovereignty to Iraqi leaders, formally ending the American occupation two days earlier than scheduled. In a tightly guarded room behind high walls, L. Paul Bremer III, the top United States administrator, presented a formal letter recognizing Iraq's sovereignty to Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi. Just 30 or so people were present for what Dr. Allawi described as the "historic" handover. A few hours later, Mr. Bremer flew off on a military plane, leaving...

Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi (C) smiles as US civil administrator in Iraq Paul Bremer (R) shakes hand with the head of the Iraqi Supreme Court Midhat Mahmoud after handing over legal documents of Iraq's sovereignty during a simple ceremony in Baghdad. Iraq received its sovereignty from the US-led coalition after 14 months of occupation(AFP/Saeed Khan) U.S. Administrator L. Paul Bremer, right, shows a document to Iraqi interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, center, and Iraqi Chief Justice Midhat al-Mahmoudi, left, transfering national sovereignty to Iraq at a ceremony in Baghdad, Iraq Monday, June 28, 2004.(AP Photo/Hussein Malla)  

GLIMMERS OF hope can be found amid the chaos preceding Wednesday's formal transfer of sovereignty in Iraq. Iraqi officials are already in charge of all 25 government ministries, running -- with the help of about 200 U.S. and British consultants -- a bureaucracy of more than a million workers. Iyad Allawi, the interim prime minister taking over from occupation leader L. Paul Bremer III, is presenting to his nation a face of amazing courage, refusing to be intimidated by the price on his head and the brutal violence around him. Most important, there is a palpable yearning among the Iraqi...

Over and out By Damien McElroy in Baghdad (Filed: 27/06/2004) As he embarked on a final round of farewell visits to outlying parts of his empire last week, Paul Bremer, the American-appointed administrator of Iraq, lapsed into a quiet daydream about the cookery school he will attend after returning home to Washington. Paul Bremer discusses the future of Iraq with tribal leaders If the confident New Englander was weary after the cacophony of bombs and bullets that have steadily increased in tempo throughout his tenure, the signs were not visible. The dark, good looks that belie his 62 years remain...

Bremer Details Top Accomplishments of Post-War Iraq By Kathleen T. RhemAmerican Forces Press Service BAGHDAD, Iraq, June 21, 2004 – As he prepares to leave Iraq after the handover of sovereignty to the interim Iraqi government, the American who has led the country since the end of major offensive operations looked back and detailed what he believes are the three greatest accomplishment there to date. "I think what's important is actually to step back and look at the broader picture of what's been achieved over the last year," Ambassador L. Paul Bremer III explained June 16 to American reporters...

BAGHDAD (AFP) - The US overseer for Iraq (news - web sites), Paul Bremer, aired the possibility of an American pullout from the country, saying the United States did not stay where it was "not welcome". "If the provisional government asks us to leave we will leave," he said Friday, referring to a post-June 30 administration after the handover of sovereignty. "I don't think that will happen but obviously we don't stay in countries where we're not welcome," he said at a working lunch in Baghdad with Iraqi officials from Diyala province.

  Bremer Names Former Anti-Saddam Activist as New Governor of Najaf By Rudi WilliamsAmerican Forces Press ServiceWASHINGTON, May 6, 2004 – A former prisoner of the Saddam Hussein regime who returned to Iraq from exile last year has been appointed as the new governor of Najaf province, coalition administrator Ambassador L. Paul Bremer III announced today in Baghdad. Emphasizing that Iraqi authorities and the coalition are cooperating to reaffirm the rule of law and to restore order to the middle Euphrates area, Bremer said Adnan al- Zurufi's appointment will enhance that cooperation. Bremer said he appointed Zurufi as Najaf's...

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - L. Paul Bremer, the U.S. administrator in Iraq, said Sunday he regrets a statement he made more than six months before the Sept. 11 attacks that the Bush administration was "paying no attention" to terrorism. Bremer said any implied criticism that President Bush was not acting against terrorism was "unfair." Ahead of the November election, Bush is facing criticism he didn't make terrorism his No. 1 priority before the attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center and then weakened the war on terror by invading Iraq and shifting the focus from Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida...

BAGHDAD - U.S. Governor of Iraq Paul Bremer said on Sunday his past criticism of President Bush for being slow to implement anti-terror measures was unfair. Bremer said in a speech six months before the September 11 attacks in 2001 that the Bush administration seemed to be ignoring the problem of terrorism and would "stagger along" until a major incident. ~snip~ But Bremer said on Sunday his remarks had been unjust. "My statement in February 2001 reflected my frustration that in the nine months following the recommendations of the National Commission on Terrorism, none had been implemented by the Clinton...

WASHINGTON - L. Paul Bremer, the U.S. administrator in Iraq (news - web sites), said in a speech six months before the Sept. 11 attacks that the Bush administration was "paying no attention" to terrorism. "What they will do is stagger along until there's a major incident and then suddenly say, 'Oh my God, shouldn't we be organized to deal with this,'" Bremer said at a McCormick Tribune Foundation conference on terrorism on Feb. 26, 2001. Bremer spoke at the conference shortly after he chaired the National Commission on Terrorism, a bipartisan body formed by the Clinton administration to examine...

Apr. 29, 2004. 09:06 PM Bremer speech accused Bush of ignoring terrorism WASHINGTON (AP) — Paul Bremer, the U.S. administrator in Iraq, said in a speech six months before the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States that President George W. Bush's administration was ``paying no attention" to terrorism. "What they will do is stagger along until there's a major incident and then suddenly say: `Oh my God, shouldn't we be organized to deal with this,"' Bremer said at a McCormick Tribune Foundation conference on terrorism Feb. 26, 2001. Bremer spoke at the conference shortly after he chaired the...

Good Evening. Iraq faces a choice. You could take the path which leads to a new Iraq, a peaceful, democratic Iraq, an Iraq of political freedom and economic opportunity, an Iraq where the majority is not Sunni, Shia, Arab, Kurd or Turcoman, but Iraqi. This is the path to a bright and hopeful future. Or you could take the path which leads to the dark Iraq of the past where violence and fear rule, where power comes from a gun, and where only the powerful and ruthless are secure. Thousands of conversations with you over the past year have made...

<p>April 24 (Bloomberg) -- L. Paul Bremer, the top U.S. administrator in Iraq, visited Fallujah today as part of efforts by the U.S.-led coalition to quell a Muslim insurgency, coalition spokesman Dan Senor said.</p> <p>The U.S. has allowed civic leaders to try to negotiate with anti-U.S. insurgents for a cease-fire and voluntary disarmament in the mostly Sunni Muslim city 35 miles (56 kilometers) west of the Iraqi capital Baghdad. The U.S. sent soldiers into the city after four civilian contractors were killed and their bodies mutilated March 31.</p>

L. Paul Bremer, head of the U.S. provisional authority in Iraq, warned the Iraqi people on Friday that if they don't begin to defend themselves against continuing attacks from terrorists in their midst, coalition forces won't be able to do the job alone. "Iraq faces a choice," Bremer said during an address televised throughout the country. "If you do not defend your beloved country, it will not be saved." Bremer's warning came a day after the Associated Press quoted Maj. Gen. Martin Dempsey, commander of the Army's 1st Armored Division, saying that "10 percent of newly trained Iraqi security forces...