Chapter 36: Too Many Hands on the Steering Wheel
1. Ambassador L. Paul Bremer III with Malcolm McConnell, My Year in Iraq: The Struggle to Build a Future of Hope (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2005), pp. 36-37.
2. Rory Stewart, The Prince of the Marshes: And Other Occupational Hazards of a Year in Iraq (Orlando, FL: Harcourt, 2006), p. 109.
3. James Dobbins, Seth G. Jones, Benjamin Runkle, and Siddharth Mohandas, Occupying Iraq: A History of the Coalition Provisional Authority (Santa Monica, CA: RAND, 2009), p. 248.
4. James Dobbins, Seth G. Jones, Benjamin Runkle, and Siddharth Mohandas, Occupying Iraq: A History of the Coalition Provisional Authority (Santa Monica, CA: RAND, 2009), p. 249.
5. George Packer, The Assassins’ Gate: America in Iraq (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2005), p. 396.
6. Rumsfeld to Powell et al., “Iraq Personnel,” September 16, 2003.
7. Commander, U.S. Joint Forces Command, “Joint Lessons Learned: Operational Insights,” August 8, 2003; Commander, U.S. Joint Forces Command, “Joint Lessons Learned: Stability, Transition and Reconstruction Operations—Operational Insights,” May 25, 2004.
8. Ambassador L. Paul Bremer III with Malcolm McConnell, My Year in Iraq: The Struggle to Build a Future of Hope (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2005), p. 12.
9. Douglas Jehl and Jane Perlez, “Pentagon Sending a Team of Exiles to Help Run Iraq,” New York Times, April 26, 2003.
10. Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction interview with Ambassador L. Paul Bremer III, March 18, 2008, as cited in Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, Hard Lessons: The Iraq Reconstruction Experience (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 2009), p. 69.
11. Bremer to Rumsfeld, “Meeting with Iraqi Political Leaders,” June 2, 2003.
12. Rumsfeld to Bremer, “Why We Need an IA Sooner Rather Than Later,” June 9, 2003; Rumsfeld to Bremer, “Forming the Interim Administration,” June 21, 2003.
13. Douglas J. Feith, War and Decision: Inside the Pentagon at the Dawn of the War on Terrorism (New York: HarperCollins, 2008), p. 439.
14. Patrick E. Tyler, “Overseer Adjusts Strategy as Turmoil Grows in Iraq,” New York Times, July 13, 2003.
15. Ambassador L. Paul Bremer III with Malcolm McConnell, My Year in Iraq: The Struggle to Build a Future of Hope (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2005), p. 171.
16. Rumsfeld to Bremer et al., “Recognition of Governing Council,” September 11, 2003.
17. David Rohde, “Iraqis Were Set to Vote, but U.S. Wielded a Veto,” New York Times, June 19, 2003.
18. Wolfowitz to Rumsfeld, “CERP Funds,” November 28, 2003.
19. Coalition Provisional Authority, “Achieving the Vision to Restore Full Sovereignty to the Iraqi People (Strategic Plan),” working document as of October 1, 2003 (Baghdad, Iraq).
20. Coalition Provisional Authority, “Achieving the Vision to Restore Full Sovereignty to the Iraqi People (Strategic Plan),” working document as of October 1, 2003 (Baghdad, Iraq).
21. Douglas J. Feith, War and Decision: Inside the Pentagon at the Dawn of the War on Terrorism (New York: HarperCollins, 2008), pp. 497–98.
22. Coalition Provisional Authority, “Implementation of De-Ba’athification Order No. 1,” May 16, 2003.
23. Rumsfeld to Bush et al., “Visit to the Persian Gulf, Iraq, Afghanistan & United Kingdom,” May 5, 2003.
24. James Dobbins, Seth G. Jones, Benjamin Runkle, and Siddharth Mohandas, Occupying Iraq: A History of the Coalition Provisional Authority (Santa Monica, CA: RAND, 2009), pp. xxvi–xxvii.
25. Ali A. Allawi, The Occupation of Iraq: Winning the War, Losing the Peace (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2007), p. 150.
26. Department of Defense notes of NSC meeting, March 26, 2003.
27. Department of Defense, “Rebuilding the Iraqi Military,” January 21, 2003.
28. Department of Defense notes of principals meeting, February 26, 2003.
29. Rodman to Rumsfeld, “Disbanding the Iraqi Army,” May 24, 2006.
30. James Dobbins, Seth G. Jones, Benjamin Runkle, and Siddharth Mohandas, Occupying Iraq: A History of the Coalition Provisional Authority (Santa Monica, CA: RAND, 2009), p. 55.
31. Michael R. Gordon, “Fateful Choice on Iraq Army Bypassed Debate,” New York Times, March 17, 2008.
32. Ambassador L. Paul Bremer III with Malcolm McConnell, My Year in Iraq: The Struggle to Build a Future of Hope (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2005), p. 224.
33. Bremer to Rumsfeld et al., “Dissolution of the Ministry of Defense and Related Entities,” May 19, 2003.
34. James Dobbins, Seth G. Jones, Benjamin Runkle, and Siddharth Mohandas, Occupying Iraq: A History of the Coalition Provisional Authority (Santa Monica, CA: RAND, 2009), p. 57.
35. Rumsfeld to Bremer, “Response to your ‘should we pay the ex-military’ proposal,” June 19, 2003.
36. Douglas J. Feith, War and Decision: Inside the Pentagon at the Dawn of the War on Terrorism (New York: HarperCollins, 2008), pp. 433–34; James Dobbins, Seth G. Jones, Benjamin Runkle, and Siddharth Mohandas, Occupying Iraq: A History of the Coalition Provisional Authority (Santa Monica, CA: RAND, 2009), p. 60.
37. Rumsfeld to Bremer et al., “Iraqi Army,” October 15, 2003.
38. Rumsfeld to Abizaid et al., “Iraqi Security Elements,” November 10, 2003; Rumsfeld, letter to Carl Levin et al., December 29, 2003.
39. Ambassador L. Paul Bremer III with Malcolm McConnell, My Year in Iraq: The Struggle to Build a Future of Hope (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2005), p. 236.
40. Hannah Hickey, “Bremer Defends Disbanding Iraqi Army as the ‘Most Important Decision I Made,’” Stanford Report, April 27, 2005.
41. L. Paul Bremer III, “How I Didn’t Dismantle Iraq’s Army,” New York Times, September 6, 2007.
42. Bremer to Rumsfeld, “Dissolution of the Ministry of Defense and Related Entities,” May 19, 2003.
43. James Dobbins, Seth G. Jones, Benjamin Runkle, and Siddharth Mohandas, Occupying Iraq: A History of the Coalition Provisional Authority (Santa Monica, CA: RAND, 2009), p. 57.
44. Christopher Hitchens, “It Was Right to Dissolve the Iraqi Army,” Slate, September 17, 2007.
46. Rumsfeld to Bremer et al., “Training Iraqi Police,” September 29, 2003.
47. Bremer to Rumsfeld, “Security Assessment,” February 3, 2004.
48. Associated Press, “Saddam’s Amnesty Blamed for Iraq’s Crime,” New York Times, May 16, 2003.
49. George Tenet with Bill Harlow, At the Center of the Storm: My Years at the CIA (New York: HarperCollins, 2007), p. 318.
50. Gary Anderson, “Saddam’s Greater Game,” Washington Post, April 2, 2003.
51. Rumsfeld to Abizaid et al., “Post-Saddam,” May 22, 2003.
52. Department of Defense news transcript, “DoD News Briefing—Mr. Di Rita and Gen. Abizaid,” July 16, 2003.
53. Rumsfeld to Steven Bucci, “DoD Dictionary,” July 23, 2003; Rumsfeld to Abizaid, cc: Myers, “Definitions,” July 23, 2003.
54. Rumsfeld to Wolfowitz et al., “Terminology,” January 7, 2004.
55. Rumsfeld to Di Rita, “History of Insurgency,” November 12, 2003.
56. L. Paul Bremer III, “Iraq’s Path to Sovereignty,” Washington Post, September 8, 2003.
57. Douglas J. Feith, War and Decision: Inside the Pentagon at the Dawn of the War on Terrorism (New York: HarperCollins, 2008), p. 459.
58. Ambassador L. Paul Bremer III with Malcolm McConnell, My Year in Iraq: The Struggle to Build a Future of Hope (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2005), p. 164.
59. Ambassador L. Paul Bremer III with Malcolm McConnell, My Year in Iraq: The Struggle to Build a Future of Hope (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2005), p. 208.
60. Rumsfeld to Bremer, “Memos on Iraq,” July 8, 2003; Rumsfeld to Bremer, [No Subject], June 1, 2004.
