CPA officials
warned that the days leading up to the official transfer of power on June 30th would probably be marked with attacks, and may well have suspected that June 30th would be the day for a series of coordinated attacks like those that occurred
last week.
Thus, a sudden switcheroo led to the handover of power on Sunday afternoon (Baghdad time) rather than Tuesday, and the prompt departure of Paul Bremer.
Maybe-- maybe-- this upset plans by Iraqi militants to disrupt the official transfer ceremonies.
On the other hand, the CPA may have been too clever by half, with its final action highlighting just how arbitrary the June 30th date always was. And if the attacks continue, many Americans may wonder why exactly we're staying in Iraq now that there's a supposedly sovereign government in place and we still haven't found any weapons of mass destruction.
But this sudden switchover saves the White House the embarrassment of a beautifully-orchestrated ceremony of official transfer featuring the conspicuous absence of President Bush.
One Baghdad blogger whose name is now forgotten mentioned that the CPA's front lawn was being groomed every day to ensure that it looked good for the day the new government was sworn in; as it was, the ceremony occurred in a room that looked more like a hospital waiting room than the birthplace of Iraqi democracy-- video clip.
(Also posted here, minus the poll.)