Forgive me this sin, but I am going to actually link to
Kevin Drum over at Washington Monthly. Yes, that's right. I am linking to the site #1 on my "Blogs That Suck" list. For Christ's sake, he has "Ruminate This" on his blogroll, a blog long dead and buried, yet no link to me. How disgusting is that? But then, what should I expect from a man who appears to have more than a passing resemblance to Kevin McHale.
Anyway, he has a post up about the dis-banding of the Iraqi army, and who's possibly responsible for the decision:
Slate
On March 10, 2003, a week before the invasion, the National Security Council held a principals' meeting, attended by Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Condoleezza Rice, Colin Powell, CIA Director George Tenet, the Joints Chiefs of Staff, and the top aides to all these officials. They decided that after the war, a Truth and Reconciliation Commission would be set up -- similar to such panels in post-apartheid South Africa and post-Communist Eastern Europe -- to ferret out the undesirable Baathists from those who could reliably work for a post-Saddam regime. Most Baathists were ordinary, even apolitical, people whose jobs required them to join the party. A rough calculation by NSC staffers and intelligence analysts was that only about 5 percent of the party -- the leaders -- would have to be removed, and even they would have the right to appeal.
On March 12, at another principals' meeting, on what to do about the Iraqi military, these same top U.S. officials decided to disband the Republican Guard -- Saddam's elite corps and bodyguards -- but to call the regular army's soldiers back to duty and to reconstitute their units after a proper vetting of their loyalties.
Both of these decisions were unanimous. NSC staff members had briefed officials on these plans before the meetings, up and down the chain of command, and they encountered no substantive dissent.
Though loathed to admit it, I have to agree with Kevin (I am really going to need a shower), Cheney as the idea man makes perfect sense.
In a way, this is almost comforting. Cheney has been making disastrous
decisions ever since he entered the West Wing, and it only makes sense
that he'd be responsible for the ur-disaster of disbanding the Iraqi
army too.
It also explains Bush's sudden loss of memory over the whole affair. He was probably too busy day dreaming about his next vacation clearing brush at his ranch in Texas and completely missed the change of orders.
By the way, is anyone else besides me really weired out by the fact our President takes vacation at a ranch located in a place called Waco? To clean out brush. Which is made up of saplings and bushes.
Truly bizarre. It's as if subconsciously he's attempting to clean himself out of the ranch.
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