Bremer means business

Reading about the letter L. Paul Bremer wrote to George Bush on May 22, 2003 is not a substitute for reading the whole stomach-churning epistle itself.

“As I have moved around, there has been an almost universal expression of thanks to the US and to you in particular for freeing Iraq from Saddam’s tyranny. In the northern town of Mosul yesterday, an old man, under the impression that I was President Bush (he apparently has poor TV reception), rushed up and planted two very wet and hairy kisses on my cheeks.”

These are words Bremer actually wanted the American people to read.

And just to preempt someone pointing this out in comments, no, he does not specify which cheeks.

He wrote of the need to take “vigorous steps to impose law and order on the streets of Baghdad. This, far more than the much-discussed evolution of political structures, is what dominates the life of the average urban resident.” That was more than 4 years ago, and Bush is still talking about the need to establish security before reconciliation is possible.

He also wrote of his goal to get electricity in Baghdad back to pre-invasion levels. So how’s that going?

He wrote, “a legitimate sovereign Iraqi government must be built on a well-prepared base.” So how’s that going?

And yes, he informed Bush of his intention of “dissolving Saddam’s military and intelligence structures to emphasize that we mean business.” There’s no business like complete fucking moron business, like no business I know.