NYT: Death and Hesitation in Iraq (Bremer is on vacation!)

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/30/international/worldspecial/30CONT.html?hp

The car bomb that killed one of Iraq's most important spiritual leaders today was apparently met by a political vacuum in the nation's capital, where the Iraqi and American officials charting the country's future seemed unsure who should respond and how.

Ayatollah Muhammad Bakr al-Hakim, a symbol of moderation in this restive land, was dead. Religious leaders called for blood and vengeance, and in some places the ayatollah's mourners took to the streets. Yet here in Baghdad, the Iraqi and American officials charged with shepherding this country toward democratic rule went about their business as if little had changed.

There were no speeches calling for calm and few public appearances by anyone in charge. L. Paul Bremer III, the chief American administrator, was on vacation. Nobody seemed to know when exactly he would return. The American military command here said nothing.

"I think someone is writing up a statement, somebody, I'm not sure," said Mahmoud Othman, a member of the 25-member Iraqi Governing Council, one of the few who could be found this afternoon. "We don't have satellite, you know, that's one of the problems. The Americans should give us a satellite."

Mr. Bremer's office issued a brief statement saying: "The Iraqi police have our full cooperation in this important investigation. I pledge that the coalition will do everything possible to see that the perpetrators are brought to justice."

[teryang]

1. Ask someone who shives a git

The lebanoning of Iraq was all part of the plan.

[Rose Siding]

2. If a bombing like that happened in the US

and the govt and media weren't ALL over it, we would freak. Will the US puppet govt have memorials. Will there be drives to aid the survivors? I can't believe what we've done. The response to this one incident gives total LIE to the legitimacy of any US control. A brief statement? Criminally clueless.

[DoYouEverWonder]

3. Seems Brenner takes after W

He's been either out of Iraq or on vacation more than he's been in country. No wonder he doesn't have a clue. He must share a bubble with his boss.

[dArKeR]

4. I'm sure this is mis-reporting! It is absolutely impossible he's on

vacation. I'm sure! The NYTimes made a mistake.

[Dover]

5. Where is Bremer? Did he join Cheney poolside in the bunker?

That will firm up his alibi.

Nothing good ever happens when the mob takes a holiday.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

12. at S.P.E.C.T.R.E. headquarters

the only question is, with Osama, Saddam, Bush, Cheney, Bremer, etc, who's Number Nine, Number Six, Number Two...

[Spazito]

6. This is beyond disgusting!

Bush says squat when the security he is required by international law to provide proves non-existent and results in the death of so many and his hired gun is on vacation. This is one big SNAFU, TARFU, CLUSTERF*CK! (imo)

[priller]

7. How many died in that bombing?

Is it over 100 now? The pictures on TV look truly awful, it was a huge blast. After all the grief and mourning over the UN deaths (and rightfully so), the contrast here couldn't be more stark. Don't know how to respond?!?! How about calling it a terrible tragedy, saying how awful it was, how they're sorry for the families, etc, etc, etc. Bush didn't even make a statement. But like poster #1 said, they obviously don't give a shit about Iraqis. And I'm sure the silence from the Americans will be noted by the Iraqis.

[aquart]

8. Didn't Bremer just take this job?

What job gives you a vacation after a couple of months? (Aside from president of the United States)?

[Rose Siding]

14. BBC announced on May 7th

that Bremer was appointed to outrank Garner

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3006783.stm

Less than 4 months.

[priller]

9. Oh, now this is good

In an interview, Mr. Chalabi said the Iraqi leaders needed to be given more control over Iraqi security. A partial solution, he said, could lie in the formation of an Iraqi militia, put together by political leaders like himself, who could screen out applicants for former members of Mr. Hussein's government.

In other words, "Would you guys give me my own private army? And pay for it? Thanks!"

[Jacobin]

10. On Vacation?

WTF?

They have no plans to make this work (which it won't anyway).

This is all obviously designed to start armageddon.

You couldn't be this inept if you tried.

[prolesunited]

11. I don't know about any of you

but I'm forced to cancel my vacation if anything important is going on and if I'm on vacation when something comes up, I have to come into the office and take care of it.

The ME is burning and these asswipes are on f*cking vacation!!!

:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

[Cocoa]

13. "nobody seemed to know when he was coming back"

:wtf:

[berry]

15. I suppose he could be on vacation--they are that inept--

but other possibilities also come to mind.

1) It could be that he has decided to quit--the job is, after all, impossible, and hardly likely to be good on his resume. But of course BushCo* wouldn't want to let him, except on their schedule perhaps. (I vote for this one--we shall see. I don't think he'd quit unless he recognized that things were really really really bad--Bush has a way of hating people who aren't loyal and obedient, so it would mean "never working in that town (D.C.) again." I don't expect it would be for a principled reason, though.)

2) Wasn't he just in the US to ask for "10s of billions" of dollars more? Maybe he couldn't get what he wanted, and won't go back without it? A rift of that sort would be covered up I suppose--though "vacation" seems worse than no cover at all.

3) Maybe he's in Baghdad, but is hiding because of a death threat or something like that. (Apparently, even benign famous people get threats. Bremer would have reason to believe in the seriousness of any threats.)

4) He really is on vacation--feeling the need for R&R after facing so much danger. (Funny--even during Vietnam, the soldiers got some R&R breaks. I haven't heard of any such thing for the troops in Iraq....)

Any of these (and some others I haven't thought of) would be bad enough that the HQ would not want to be forthcoming.

[Sideways]

16. Combo 1 & 2

When I read this in the Khaleej Times last night I said to myself "Bremer isn't coming back after his 'vacation'."

Then I realized the dual meaning of my thought and said "OH SHIT."

There is going to be some serious BullShitSpinOGanda coming soon from Roves piehole.

[Ouabache]

18. All the more reason to just let "Duke" from the Doonesbury strip

actually become the proconsul of Iraq.

Might as well put a comic strip character in charge, that's all these whistle-asses amount to anyway.

[cthrumatrix]

17. No speeches no leadership? WTF is the gov. council endorsed by UN?

And these guys don't have a brain? If a puppet hand isn't up their ass they can't think?

sad...

[DoYouEverWonder]

19. This guy has got great timing

Civil war is about to break out, so what do you do? Go on vacation of course. I mean he's been on the job 4 whole months without a day off, give the dude a break. So what, if we have had troops in the region who haven't had a day off in over a year.


Yahoo News 08/27/03

Bremer met yesterday with national security adviser Condoleezza Rice (news - web sites) and Secretary of State Colin L. Powell before starting a vacation, taking his first days off since he was dispatched to run Iraq nearly four months ago. He is pressing for support at a perilous and pivotal time.

[DoYouEverWonder]

20. Damn, this guy is good

at being out of harms way, when the shit hits the fan. Here he is in the US making the rounds on August 20th, the day after the bombing of UN headquarters in Baghdad.


Yahoo AFP

Wed Aug 20, 2003

Bremer made the rounds of US television news shows Wednesday, a day after a truck bomb killed the top UN envoy to Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello.

[Rose Siding]

21. Is he still out of town from that trip?

Has there been no coverage of him since then. It's so hard to keep track.