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Bremer: Things Were Complicated
How does $8.8 billion disappear without much of a clue of where it went? Well... it's complicated.
A preview of Paul Bremer's testimony tomorrow morning, from Mike Allen of The Politico:
L. Paul Bremer III, former administrator of the Coalition Provisional Authority, plans to point to unexpectedly chaotic conditions in post-Saddam Baghdad as he defends his record at a hearing on Iraq spending before House Democrats on Tuesday, according to sources familiar with his testimony...Bremer, the civilian in charge of all of Iraq from May 2003 to June 2004, told Politico he looks forward to committee members' questions, but also plans to give them a 5,000- to 6,000-word treatise in addition to his five-minute opening statement....
Bremer calls his longer, written statement "a more extensive explanation of the circumstances we faced on the ground and how we tried to deal with those circumstances - how they complicated everything we did."
If Bremer's got nothing more than that up his sleeve, it's going to be a long, long hearing for him.
Also testifying will be Stuart W. Bowen, Jr., the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (Bremer's nemesis), and David Oliver, the Former Director of Management and Budget from the Coalition Provisional Authority.
Comments (15)
Bearpaw wrote on February 5, 2007 5:22 PM:This is the next fad in responsibility dodging, now that "I can't remember" has been ridden to death -- "It's complicated". They're counting on the media and the public using that as a cue to lose interest.
Sad thing is, it'll probably work.
Mrs Panstreppon wrote on February 5, 2007 5:26 PM:Please, please Rep. Waxman, ask Bremer to describe in detail how the $9 billion in cash was dispensed. Was it an average of $275 million a week? Was it taken out by the truckload? How did you know which Iraqi was supposed to get the cash?
I've waited a long time to hear this story.
Anonymous wrote on February 5, 2007 5:51 PM:Or, to quote from the Decider, "It's hard work!"
Richard L. Adlof wrote on February 5, 2007 5:57 PM:I have sooooo gotta remember to ask my wife to set the VCR and tape this if it is shown on CSPAN . . . Heck! I think I'm going to stay home from work to watch.
Honey, if you are reading this remind me to pick-up a coupla bags o' chips and some dip on the way home tonight.
Anonymous wrote on February 5, 2007 6:36 PM:Bremer on CPA contracts is such a target rich enviroment that I'm sure he will try to run out the clock and make it all so complicated. To be successful, Waxman and Co. need to forget about hearing any answers in this round and focus on the questions. There's no need to personalize it or grandstand. Just walk through the CPA official documents and get Bremer to confirm who was in charge of what and then start in on, say, the Parson's contract. I'm sure he can't remember much but I think it's fair to ask a few basic questions about a billion dollar contract gone way wrong.
Cranky wrote on February 5, 2007 7:16 PM:http://www.cpa-iraq.org/regulations/
http://www.iraqcoalition.org/pressreleases/20040326_PMO_5.html
If they only do those stupid 5 min. question rounds I don't see how they will get much out of him anyway. It hasn't been done yet but if he has to we could see a claim of executive privilege. That r they end up in a secret session, and we never find out anything.
Mrs Panstreppon wrote on February 5, 2007 7:56 PM:Thanks to whoever posted the links to the CPA website. I had never seen the list of CPA contracts before. I'd like to know who got a whopping $13 million for auditing Iraq external debt. As far as I know, Bremer had one small consulting firm run out of a private home in San Diego doing all of the CPA's accounting work.
Bob Barnes wrote on February 5, 2007 8:31 PM:Time to bring the Independent Counsels back. This time maybe they could stick to putting criminals in prison instead of getting maximum TV airtime. It's a shame that the Justice Department has been compromised by partisan politics and can't be counted on to prosecute criminals when the White House doesn't want them to.
global citizen wrote on February 5, 2007 9:31 PM:Check his pockets.
ortsed wrote on February 5, 2007 11:38 PM:Check his kitchen: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/13/AR2005091300404.html
isn't he the genius that disbanded the Iraqi army that's now causing half of the vikolence in Iraq.
pum wrote on February 6, 2007 12:31 AM:"It's hard work!"
albertchampion wrote on February 6, 2007 1:35 AM:could we please examine all of his bank accounts, foreign and domesic?
all of his brokerage accounts?
would the demtillian party please investigate this individuals finances for the last 10-20 years.
thank you.
SeeDee wrote on February 6, 2007 2:20 AM:I hope he 'volunteers' to show them his Presidential Medal of Honor...he may think it has magical powers to deflect any 'tough' questions.
Maybe the rumors of some of this missing $9-BILLIONS going directly to Dick Cheney are true.
MNSpectator wrote on February 6, 2007 8:15 AM:"Unexpectedly chaotic conditions"? "Unexpected" to whom?
Heck, _I_ expected chaos incarnate in Iraq after the invasion, and I'm just a computer programmer in fly-over country.
Exactly how moronic are these people, anyway? Every time I think I've set my expectations bar low enough, they find a way to drop beneath it...
epenisa wrote on January 11, 2008 3:23 AM:Hi
Nice work from your side... have a nice time with yoru blog :)
Bye