Back on Capitol Hill, Bremer Is Facing a Cooler Reception

by snuffysmith | February 5, 2007 at 08:14 pm

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I wonder if Bremer is going to raise the Nurenberg Defense, to wit, "I was just following orders."

Back on Capitol Hill, Bremer Is Facing a Cooler Reception

Republicans to Join Democrats in Criticizing Decisions in Iraq

By Rajiv Chandrasekaran

Washington Post Staff Writer

Tuesday, February 6, 2007; A09

The last time L. Paul Bremer testified before Congress, he was lauded as an American hero. Rep. Ander Crenshaw (R-Fla.) congratulated Bremer, who was leading the U.S. occupation authority in Iraq, for a "tremendous success." Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del.) commended his "energy and focus." Sen. Pete V. Domenici (R-N.M.) praised his "brilliant analysis."

When Bremer returns to Capitol Hill today to appear before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, he will receive a far less effusive reception than he did in September 2003. The now-ruling Democrats plan to pounce on him for disbanding Iraq's army, firing many members of the Baath Party, hiring GOP loyalists and notfully accounting for the spending of billions of dollars in Iraqi oil revenue.

Fellow Republicans have pointed questions for the first time in public as well.

"Had Bremer made better decisions, we would be in a very different place today," said Rep. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.).

"Some of the key mistakes in Iraq occurred on his watch," said Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.). "I think there will be a tendency among Republicans to look very carefully and say, 'Who is this man . . . who made decisions that we're still paying for today?' "

Two and a half years after he left Baghdad, the steel-haired viceroy who wore combat boots with his navy-blue suits has emerged as an embodiment of reconstruction policy gone awry. The Senate began debate yesterday on a resolution condemning President Bush's troop buildup, and House members will have their sights on Bremer this week as they seek to assign blame for U.S. mistakes in rebuilding Iraq.

While there remain deep divisions about Bush's decision to send more troops to Iraq, there is near-unanimity among Democrats and Republicans that the United States needs to roll back key political and economic decisions Bremer's Coalition Provisional Authority made.