In Victory for Powell, Bush Names Civilian Overseer for Iraq

New York Times ^ | 05-06-03

[Brian S]

WASHINGTON, May 6 — President Bush appointed a new civilian administrator for Iraq today, settling a sharp disagreement between the State and Defense Departments over how best to manage that country during its recovery and reconstruction.

The new administrator, L. Paul Bremer, who served as an ambassador at large for counterterrorism in the Reagan administration, will outrank Jay Garner, the retired Army lieutenant general who has been in charge of postwar administration since the government of Saddam Hussein was ousted by American-led military forces last month.

The Pentagon had hoped to retain control of the postwar effort, so the decision is a victory for Secretary of State Colin L. Powell. It will probably also help placate United Nations and European critics, who have complained that Iraq should be governed by a civilian during this interim period to lessen the appearance of a military occupation.

"The ambassador goes with the full blessing of this administration and the full confidence of everyone in this administration," Mr. Bush said in the Oval Office today, as Mr. Bremer sat between him and Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld.

Mr. Bremer "is a person who knows how to get things done," the president added.

Senior administration officials first began talking about appointing Mr. Bremer more than a week ago, but no official announcement emerged in the following days, and public comments by Mr. Powell and Mr. Rumsfeld exposed the rift between the State Department and the Pentagon on the interim administration of postwar Iraq.

During a Congressional hearing in late April, Mr. Powell was shown an organizational chart that indicated a Pentagon official would oversee the selection of a new government in Iraq.

"That is not a current and accurate chart," Mr. Powell snapped. "And it will be even less accurate within the next few days."

But after several days passed and the White House still had said nothing about Mr. Bremer, Mr. Rumsfeld issued an unusual statement of support for Mr. Garner, saying he "is doing a truly outstanding job for the nation; any suggestion to the contrary is flat untrue and mischievous."

Mr. Rumsfeld also noted pointedly, "The White House has made no announcements regarding other appointments."

That announcement finally came today. With Mr. Rumsfeld looking on, smiling, the president hailed Mr. Bremer "as a can-do person."

Mr. Bremer served in the United States Foreign Service for 23 years and is chairman and chief executive of the crisis-consulting practice at Marsh Inc., a division of the Marsh & McLennan Companies. Before joining the company in October 2000, he worked for Kissinger Associates, the international consulting firm headed by former Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger. He has also served on the president's Homeland Security Advisory Council.

General Garner remains busy in Iraq. On Monday, he met with a sheikh and tribal chieftain in Basra who may become governor there.

"It was a very good meeting," the sheikh, Muzahem al-Tamimi, told Agence France-Presse. "We are happy he came to see us. He asked my opinion of the future of Iraq."

The United States also released more Iraqi prisoners of war, and officials announced that all would soon be let go.

The military prisoners "will be gone within the next few days and civilians within four or five days," said Maj. Stacy Garrity of the 800th Military Police Brigade at Camp Bucca, in southern Iraq, the main detention facility. At its height, the camp held 7,000 prisoners, who have been steadily released since hostilities began winding down, with 2,000 remaining.

In Paris, Attorney General John Ashcroft told an international law enforcement conference that the looting of Iraq's national museum had been committed by organized criminal groups — "who knew precisely what they were looking for" — rather than by mobs, as first thought.

European Union culture ministers issued a statement decrying the thefts and urging the return of "objects illegally removed from museums or archaeological sites, without allowing them to become objects of trade ending up in foreign museums or private collections."

Mr. Ashcroft and other law enforcement officials vowed to recover the stolen artifacts and return them to Iraq.

[Argus]

The Times is suggesting conflict where there is none, in the interest of their ongoing project to undermine the Bush Administration and get another Red Democrat into the White House in 2004.

[Lady In Blue]

I forgot now,but earlier this evening on one of the cable channels,I saw a streaming headline that said that Bremer will report to Rumsfeld! Anybody else see that?

[CWOJackson]

I agree, but this thread won't go ten posts before people are screaming at why "Powell" is being allowed to get away with this, when will the President wake up and fire him, "Powell" is a sacred cow, Newt called it, etc.

[Piranha]

I heard it, I think on CBS network radio news.

[mrsmith]

White House press statement
"Ambassador Bremer will report to Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld "

[McGavin999]

Bremer is the perfect pick for this. There is no battle between Powell and Rumsfeld. The battle is between people at the pentagon and people at state. It's petty and anyone who thinks that Powell and Rumsfeld would decend to that level are pretty silly.

The press is going to play up a "feud" that doesn't exist. Gen. Gardner will report to Bremer. The fact that he's a civilian (so is the general since he's retired) will pacify the euroweenies. The fact that he's a terrorism expert will keep us safe as well as the Iraqi people.

[Miss Marple]

From another thread, I learned that Bremmer was nominated by Rumsfeld!!

I really loathe the press.

[Mister Baredog]

Bremer is the perfect pick for this. There is no battle between Powell and Rumsfeld. The battle is between people at the pentagon and people at state. It's petty and anyone who thinks that Powell and Rumsfeld would decend to that level are pretty silly.

The press is going to play up a "feud" that doesn't exist. Gen. Gardner will report to Bremer. The fact that he's a civilian (so is the general since he's retired) will pacify the euroweenies. The fact that he's a terrorism expert will keep us safe as well as the Iraqi people

MEGA-DITTO! The press are such fools. LOL!

[CWOJackson]

Yes but try explaining that to half the people piling on to Secretary Powell all over FR.

While I share your feelings for the press, I am starting to like their paid lap dogs even more.

Newt was forced to resign in disgrace. Now he's doing his best to stir up controversy to please his bosses and justify his big bucks.

[Piranha]

I don't agree.

Powell is tentative and internationalist in focus, while Rumsfeld is manichaean (even though that is Persian and not Babylonian), in the sense that he has a crisp moral sense and sees things in black and white. Bush also sees things in black and white. Remember when he said "You're either with us or you're with the terrorists?" If Powell (caught up in the moment) didn't cringe when Bush said that, I bet he cringes now when he thinks about it.

Institutionally, I think that Rumsfeld never should have been in charge of the nation-building function in Iraq. That really is a function of the State Department, in my opinion. However, in terms of the men and not their titles, Rumsfeld embodies the values this administration wants, whereas Powell and his State Department does not.

So what is the best solution? Is it better to use the right man and the wrong department, or the wrong man because he is in the right role?

To me it is a Solomon-like decision to take the State Department candidate (who I have read is pretty neo-conservative himself) and put him under Rumsfeld. The alternative, to put Garner under Powell, may be institutionally correct but would have led to a bare-knuckles brawl between Powell, who is over-sensitive to world opinion, and Garner, who wants to do the right thing.

The one area that I am concerned with is Garner's relationship with Israel. Specifically, I was appalled at the people who objected to Garner because a few years ago he signed a letter in support of Israel. Do people not understand the sea-change that is in process? Is historical support for Israel supposed to render him unqualified, despite his background? And is the State Department prepared to force the other nations of the Middle East to give up their hatreds of the State of Israel the way that I believe the Rumsfeld/Chaney axis was trying to do?

(By the way, in the 1940's, more than 25% of the entire population of Baghdad was Jewish, so it is not as if the Iraqi population is hard-wired to object to relationships with Jews. Instead, I think that it is a political thing.)

Bottom line, I think that the State Department is the cop who wants to keep the peace regardless of the rightness or wrongness of the status quo, because it is easier. The Defense Department sees an opportunity to make the world a kinder and gentler place. If Bremer will let his moral side trump his internationalist, diplomatic side, then I think he will do credit to the US and this whole operation. If, on the other hand, he will try too hard to win friends among our maybe allies by trying to show how nothing has changed except that Saddam is out, then the war will have accomplished only a small fraction of its potential.

I did not have these concerns with Garner at the helm. I do with Bremer.

[Lady In Blue]

Thanks! I knew I had seen it somewhere.Glad to see I got something right for a change! hehehe!

[Wild Irish Rogue]

" From another thread, I learned that Bremmer was nominated by Rumsfeld!!

I really loathe the press."

They are still in a swoon from seeing President Bush in his flight suit.Or as Dana Milbank wrote in the Washington Post last week-"" his ejection harness, hugging him tightly between the legs". I imagine Michael Wolff needed mouth to mouth,after he collapsed upon seeing the President strutting like the cock o ' the walk and surely Miss Dowd was similarly in need of smelling salts. President Bush is Manliness 101 and most of the press has never taken this course before.

[MJY1288]

Bremmer was nominated by Rumsfeld a few weeks back. This is just another example of the Press manufacturing a split in this administration.

I challenge anyone to show me an administration that has worked this well together. All of these leaders in Bush's Cabinet understand they have voices that will be heard, BUT George W. Bush makes the final decision.

I say this solely because of what I have read about this administration in the books wirtten by Bill Sammon, David Frum and Bob Woodward. They all tell the same story....... Bush is the Commander-in-Chief and has the last word

[Miss Marple]

Hey, I am with you on the pundits and think-tank guys. I am sick of them all. Not a one actually DOES anything or is accountable to an electorate. But they come on TV and hurl bombs in an effort to look important, stir up controversy, and get more donations and/or a bigger salary.

I don't appreciate the Club for Growth's attacks on the two RINO's. I don't like Newt's attack on the State Department at this critical time. I am sick of O'Reilly's mouth, Hannity's bull-headedness, Andrew Sullivan's promotion of gay rights to the exclusion of anything else, Patricia Ireland, David Corn, etc. etc.

NONE of these people has the information necessary to make decisions on intelligence and military matters. None is answerable to the voters. Why their opinions are worth more than mine is a mystery to me.

I am just tired of the constant division caused by all of these people.

[Cicero]

Bremer was . . . ambassador at large for counterterrorism in the Reagan administration

He doesn't sound like a clintonoid appeaser to me.

[Piranha]

It's not only the Clintonoids. Remember April Glaspie?

[CWOJackson]

It's intentional. They only chance the democrats have next election is to keep pushing wedge conservative issues into the spotlight and to give the public the appearance that this administration is in total disarray...and look at all the people who buy into their tactics.

Some third stringer at the White House is reported to say that the President will continue to support the Assault Weapons Ban, which he supported when he initially ran, and FR goes ballistic as if this is something new and right from the President's mouth.

The press has been trying to drive a wedge between State and Defense for a long time now, then the usual talking heads get into the act and FR goes ballistic.

[Cathryn Crawford]

Another pathetic, lame attempt to split the Bush administration.

[Miss Marple]

You are quite correct. I am fed up with all of it.

If I had a dollar for every unsourced New York Times story that set a bunch of freepers ballistic (only to have them say "nevermind" when the story turned out to be fiction) I would be a wealthy woman.