stop the press!

from the Observer/UK

Paul Bremer, who led the US civilian occupation authority in Iraq after the 2003 invasion, has admitted that the Americans "didn't really see" the threat coming from insurgents in the country.

He also criticized President George Bush and Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, saying they had not listened to his concerns about the quality of Iraq's army, and that ultimately the White House bore responsibility for decisions that had led to the current violence.
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Bremer's comments ... join a lengthening list of Iraqi hawks turned critics of policy in the country. Bremer launched his attack in an interview with the American television network NBC that is to be broadcast tonight. His attack also comes on the eve of the publication of Bremer's book on Iraq, called My Year in Iraq: The Struggle to Build a Future of Hope, which is to be released tomorrow.

In the TV interview Bremer admits the insurgency was a surprise. "We really didn't see the insurgency coming," he said, adding that he was worried about US plans, formulated in 2004, to begin reducing their troop numbers in favour of relying on Iraqis. He said he raised concerns with Bush and Rumsfeld, but they were ignored. "There was a tendency by the Pentagon to exaggerate the capability of the Iraqi forces," he said.

Bremer's critics say that he is trying to shift the blame away from himself for the violence in Iraq. Many experts have attacked his decision to disband the Iraqi army just after the invasion was complete as one of the main factors behind the insurgency.

However, Bremer said the ultimate responsibility for the situation in Iraq lay at the door of the White House. "I believe I did everything I could do. ... The President, in the end, is responsible for making decisions," he said.