WP: Former Baathists May Be Tapped for Leadership Roles

[kskiska]

The United States is moving to rehire former members of Iraq's ruling Baath Party and senior Iraqi military officers fired after the ouster of Saddam Hussein, in an effort to undo the damage of its two most controversial policies in Iraq, according to U.S. officials.

The U.S. administrator of Iraq, L. Paul Bremer, proposed the policy shifts to broaden the strategy to entice the powerful Sunni minority back into the political fold and weaken support for the insurgency in the volatile Sunni Triangle, two of the most persistent challenges for the U.S.-led occupation, the officials say. Both policies are at the heart of national reconciliation, increasingly important as the occupation nears an end.

(snip)

"The decisions made a year ago have bedeviled the situation on the ground ever since. Walking back these policies is a triumph of the view in the field over policies originally crafted in Washington," said a senior U.S. official involved in Iraq policy. Ironically, the two policies were the first actions taken by Bremer, who brought them from Washington, when he arrived in Baghdad to assume leadership of the U.S-led occupation last May.

The administration insists neither move is a policy reversal, but foreign policy experts said it will appear that way in practice to Iraqis. "We are reviewing implementation of policies to look at how to better balance the desire to employ resident expertise with the need for justice," said National Security Council spokesman Sean McCormack.

more…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A32562-2004Apr21.html

[yardwork]

1. Um, wouldn't this be a really BIG flip-flop?

I mean, the whole point was to throw Saddam and his bad-guys out of power, right?

So now we're putting them back into power?

How will the Republicans spin this one?

[eileen from OH]

2. Jeebus.

Y'know, if we offered these guys 100 billion to off Saddam a year ago, we would have accomplished a lot more than we have so far.

We could have helped with construction of schools and hospitals rather than "reconstruction" of same. We could have actually helped Afghanistan become a beacon of light for the region and hunted down the maniac criminals who were really behind 911.

And 700 American families and thousands of Iraqi families would not be poring over baby pictures, crying as they remember childhood stories, and trying desperately to remember the voices of those they have lost.

What a bargain that would have been.

eileen from OH

[daleo]

3. Bringing Saddam's top command back is "national reconciliation"?

Why don't they just bring Saddam back, cut a deal with him, oil for freedom (his), and be done with it. Then, they can fund a strongman army and dispense with the democracy blather. OK, I am kidding, but you know in your heart they will try something just like this.

[AlCzervik]

4. this really isnt a new approach

Nightline did a story on one of the cities in Iraq awhile back and the chief of police was a very corrupt baath party member.

[scisyhp]

5. Why don't they just hire Saddam Hussein for the post

of Iraqi President and get the hell out of there. I hear he is
still availble.

[DianeG5385]

6. Tareq Aziz where is he on the list?

Tareq was a hostage and a diplomat

[opihimoimoi]

7. Madness, sheer Madness. Its INSANE, we gonna put the guys we were fighting

back into POWER?

Like Eileen said, we coulda just give them 100 Billion to shoot Saddam and we all be better off for it.

This is crazy. Them Pubs not gonna like this one.

[rooboy]

8. This just in: Saddam appointed ambassador to Washington. n/t