What needs to be understood is that these Shock Doctrinaires did not believe that planning was necessary for post-war Iraq; they believe absolutely and blindly that a free market democracy will spring from chaos if chaos can be induced. Like Venus rising immaculately from the half-shell, emerging from the sea in all her Titian glory, democracy was going to arise from the sands of Iraq.

That sane people are so shocked by the lack of planning surprises them, catches them without a suitable response; they can only stammer and point fingers, even years later. Only the stupidest fucking people on earth could still cling to this belief system and this defense this long after the fact.

Probably because they had passed the unimportant issue of how to deal with Iraq off to a retired three-star General, Jay Garner, as a way of ignoring the issue. Within six weeks of the invasion, after the uncontrolled looting, they realized that there might be a problem there and that Garner was both competent and not one of them. So they quickly found a replacement for Garner in Jerry Bremer. But by the time Bremer got on board, a May planning session was probably the earliest he could arrange.

They were shooting from the hip to solve problems they had not anticipated, and Bremer himself was an afterthought.

I really wish that Jay Garner would publish a book telling what happened to him. THAT would be an interesting book, especially when compared to Bremer’s book.