Why is an administration that was so bold, ambitious and clearheaded about waging war so hapless, diffident and error-prone when it comes to waging peace? With Jay Garner and other top officials fired before they had unpacked their bags, we can stop pretending that things are going smoothly in postwar Iraq. Of course, some chaos was inevitable and we will have to make many adjustments as we go along. Paul Bremer is already―shrewdly―asserting power, creating order and restoring basic services. But superficial changes will not be enough. The Bush administration went into Iraq clinging to some ideological preconceptions. It needs to junk them to succeed.
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