A few weeks ago Paul Bremer, weaselly Neocon, wrote a OpEd/Excuse piece in regards to Iraq Armys demise. Gen. Pace said they just faded into the background, the word he used was "Dissolved" when I saw him on CSpan today and it hit me, Bremer had used the same word. Now we have this.
Charles Ferguson, a filmmaker ( No End In Sight ), presents a rebuttal to claims made by L. Paul Bremer III that top American officials approved the decision to disband the Iraqi army. ( rebuttal is a bit mild )
Paul Bremer says that he spoke with everyone in the chain of command including General Abizaid, Rumsfeld, Feith, Walter Slocombe, Waterbroad Willie Haynes, Gen. Tommy Franks and Jay Garner, the coalition’s top civil administrator at the time. Bremer also said "I then alerted the president that "I will parallel this step with an even more robust measure dissolving Saddam’s military and intelligence structures." There are a few problems about all this as the Video will show you.
Ferguson in explaining what a total disaster the way all that was handled tells us for one thing, Jay Garner, the coalition’s top civil administrator was never spoken with, informed, memoed, cc'd, or anything else about breaking up the Army and sending half a million unemployed, armed and angry men into the streets of Iraq to fend for themselves and their families.
The video is a little over 10 mins. long and debunks everyone of Bremers excuses in one way or another. All the while making it perfectly clear how stupid that first ignoring of the Iraqi Army, and then the forcing them out into the streets was, and the ensuing violence, death and mayhem it has caused.
I sat there, once again furious yet in a strange way hopeful. Hopeful that as this truth trickles out, sooner or later someone will be held accountable. Please click on the link and look for the NYTs Video called Letter to the Editor: On the Dismantling of the Iraqi Army
Here is a shorter teaser from the Documentary for those you don't want to watch the Times piece. You will get a feel of what you are missing with this.