KO and Clark on de-baathification Where's the mention of Garner?

[tetedur]

Bob Woodward in State of Denial tells the story of Jay Garner and his attempts to get the administration to pay $20 a month for 3 months to the Iraqi army. 137,000 men wanted to serve and Garner knew about this. Garner had been giving reports to Rumsfeld and "Washington" on how those men could have been used to rebuild and provide security. "The Iraqi military was making more and more overtures, just waiting to come back in some form." (p.195)

...

"But over the next year, every one of the officers and sergeants who made up the new Iraqi army came from the old Iraqi army." (p.196)

"Hadley first learned of the orders on de-Baathification and disbanding the military as Bremer announced them to Iraq and the world. They hadn't been touched by the formal interagency process and as far as Hadley knew there was no imprimatur from the White House. Rice also had not been consulted. It hadn't come back to Washington or the NSC for a decision." (p.197)

"General Myers, the principal military adviser to Bush, Rumsfeld and the NSC, wasn't even consulted on the disbanding of the Iraqi military. It was presented as a fait accompli....Rumsfeld later said he would be surprised if Wolfowitz and Feith gave Bremer the de-Baathification and army orders. He said he said he did not recall an NSC meeting on the subject." (p.198)

It must have been like getting rid of the 8 U.S. Attorneys. No one knows who gave the order. No one will take responsibility.