Republican Con of the Week: Bush Pretends Paul Bremer Deserves a Medal

From my blog at moveleft.com:
http://www.moveleft.com/moveleft_essay_2004_12_19_republican_con_of_the_week__george_w_bush_gives_medal_to_paul_bremer.asp


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George W. Bush puts Presidential Medal of Freedom on former Iraq administrator Paul Bremer

"The Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award, recognizes exceptional meritorious service," says the Info Please Almanac.

On Tuesday, Bush gave the medal to three men involved in the Iraq War, adminstrator Paul Bremer, former CIA director George Tenet, and retired U.S. Army General Tommy Franks.

Tommy Franks I have nothing against.

George Tenet I object to for two reasons: his telling Bush that there were wmd in Iraq (it's a "slam dunk") and his failure to punish the CIA officials who failed to warn the FBI that two Al Qaeda members had got visas to enter the US. Those Al Qaeda members, Khalid Al-Midhar and Nawaq Alhamzi, later hijacked a plane on September 11, 2001.

Paul Bremer, former administor of Iraq with the Coalition Provisional Authority, doesn't deserve a medal, either.

Paul Bremer probably couldn't have done worse in Iraq if he tried.

While previous administrator Jay Ganer wanted to hold early elections to empower Iraqi, Paul Bremer wanted to privatize everything so US corporations could take over Iraqi assets.

The following is by John B. Judis, in a June 23, 2004 article, guest-blogging in Joshua Micah Marshall's "Talking Points Memo:"

Bremer arrived in Baghdad in May after the Pentagon fired General Jay Garner. According to Garner, the Pentagon objected to his plan to hold early elections before Iraq's economy had been privatized. Bremer's mandate was, above all, to privatize. In June, as Bremer returned to Baghdad aboard a U.S. military transport plane after speaking at an international economic conference, he discussed his plans for Iraq with Washington Post reporter Rajiv Chandrasekaran. According to Chandrasekaran, Bremer spoke of privatization "with such fervor that his voice cut through the din of the cargo hold." "We have to move forward quickly with this effort," he said.

Bremer's economic program wasn't confined to selling off state enterprises. Bremer saw privatization as part of the broader conservative economic agenda that Reagan had endorsed in the 1980s. It would include supply-side tax cuts and elimination of import duties. And he proceeded to get his way. In September 2003--against the provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention that require occupying powers to respect existing laws--Bremer got the Iraqi Governing Council to issue an order privatizing state companies and abrogating Iraqi laws that prohibited private ownership of "national" resources and the "basic means of production." Later, he also got his way on taxes and import duties.

If people of Iraq had been treated with respect by Paul Bremer, and he helped them beneift from Iraq's resources instead of foreign corporations, things wouldn't be as bad in Iraq today.

If Bush thinks he can con us into thinking Paul Bremer deserves a medal, he's mistaken.

For images of Iraq today, go to "Fallujah in Pictures."

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