L. Paul "Pollyanna" Bremer continues to keep his blinders on as the Iraq occupation worsens under his control, spouting his ever-foolish line that the impression of utter chaos is just media spin--the real story is the bustling economy! His nonsense is starting to wear thin.
April 5, 2004
Followers of Sadr have rolled over Iraqi security forces in a number of cities, including Kufa, Najaf, Nasiriya, Basra and Baghdad, and taken over government offices....
Signs are emerging that resistance to the U.S. occupation may be growing from a sporadic, underground effort to a broader insurrection by militiamen who claim to be fighting in the name of their common faith, Islam.
Despite the widespread unrest, L. Paul Bremer, the top U.S. civilian administrator in Iraq, said there was no question coalition forces were in control of the country.
"I know if you just report on those few places, it does look chaotic," Bremer said.
"But if you travel around the country ... what you find is a bustling economy, people opening businesses right and left, unemployment has dropped."
August 26, 2003
The number of American deaths since the end of major combat operations on 1 May surpassed the number killed during the war - 139 compared to 138.
"I keep reading stories about it's a country in chaos," said Mr Bremer.
"This is simply not true. It is not a country in chaos and Baghdad is not a city in chaos."
August 20, 2003
A truck bomb destroys the UN headquarters, explosions sever Iraq's northern oil pipeline and cut off water to much of the country's capital, and US and British forces put down riots in Baghdad and Basra, the two largest Iraqi cities.
"I don't know who makes the assessment that things aren't in control. It's clearly not the view of the coalition here. We have a security problem here. The security problem now has got a terrorist dimension, which is new, but the rest of the security is basically in better shape than it was three months ago when I arrived here.
It is true that we're taking some casualties among the coalition forces, but that's largely coming from a small group of bitter-enders from the former regime, and almost all of it in a very small geographic area. ...
But it is simply wrong to extrapolate from these terrorist acts to a conclusion that this country is in chaos. It's simply not true."
July 23, 2003
19 American soldiers and dozens more are wounded in the three weeks after Bush says "Bring 'em on."
Bremer told the NPC members that today the streets in Baghdad, Basra, Mosul, Tikrit, Kirkuk, and other cities in Iraq are bustling with business, traffic and commerce.
"From the vegetable markets to the satellite-dish shops, stores are open and merchants are no longer in fear of widespread looting," he added. "The north of Iraq is peaceful. ... This is not a country in chaos, as it is sometimes portrayed," he said.