Bush Shakes Up Iraq Administration

Washington Post ^ | May 11, 2003 | Peter Slevin

[Chirodoc]

BAGHDAD, May 10 -- The American diplomat serving as chief administrator of Baghdad has been reassigned by the Bush administration after less than three weeks in Iraq in what U.S. officials here said was part of a broader shake-up of the troubled Pentagon operation to rebuild the country.

Barbara K. Bodine, a former ambassador to Yemen and the highest-ranking woman in the U.S.-led interim administration in Iraq, said she intended to leave for Washington on Sunday to fill a senior post at the State Department. As Baghdad's effective postwar mayor, she had been in charge of restoring vital public services and forming a democratic local government for the capital's 5 million residents -- a job that is incomplete.

[lowbridge]

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[HAL9000]

There seems to be a story-behind-the-story here.

[richwolo]

"There seems to be a story-behind-the-story here."

Yes there is. Barbara Bodine is quoted as saying she was never told up front what an impossible task she was being asked to perform.

[snopercod]

Was Barbara Bodine in charge of Madelein Albright's "Women's Initiative" in Yemen?

[LenS]

No wonder -- she's a State Dept. weenie. All they know how to do is talk, talk, talk instead of work, work work.

[RS]

She's a woman - Did they really expect the Iraqi culture to change so quickly that they would really consider her in charge ?

[BushCountry]

There seems to be a story-behind-the-story here.

I think the hidden story is about Bush's leadership style. He does not accept failure and is willing to make changes quick. Look how many heads rolled recently...

[carmelanne]

IMHO Out with the short old man and the affirmative action appointee and in with a tall man.

[SubMareener]

The organization that will remove a combat commander in the middle of Phase II, will not hesitate to do the same thing during Phase IV.

[Nick Danger]

Gotta love the Washington Post. Here's a State Department type getting the heave-ho as part of "the troubled Pentagon operation to rebuild the country."

[okie01]

"Barbara K. Bodine, a former ambassador to Yemen...As Baghdad's effective postwar mayor, she had been in charge of restoring vital public services "

I simply cannot imagine a career diplomat serving successfully in an executive post. Especially when there is no existing structure and all planning and actions has to be started from scratch.

State Department people are talkers, not doers -- and their first reaction to difficulty would be to appoint a committee. Clearly, this was a "hands on" job for which Ms. Bodine was congenitally unsuited.

[WOSG]

"I think the hidden story is about Bush's leadership style. He does not accept failure and is willing to make changes quick. Look how many heads rolled recently..."

Yes, this is VERY GOOD news. The occupation is NOT GOING WELL in the area of stabilizing security/law-n-order and restoring basic functions, but Bush and the administration will not let the problems fester, they will FIX THEM as best they can.

They are already learning that hands-off apporach is not working, it just makes the place a looter's haven. We will be a true occupying force for about 1+ years, and will get things done right. Excerpt:

"U.S. officials interviewed today said the U.S. presence in Iraq would likely become more assertive in coming weeks. The absence of strong leadership -- Iraqi or American -- is a subject of intense complaint among ordinary Iraqis, who are struggling with a lack of civil order after 35 years of authoritarian rule. One senior American official in Baghdad said the U.S. team had been so concerned about being seen as an occupying power that officials were overly reluctant to exert their full authority."

[stylin19a]

x42i ambassador to Yemen..it's about time for a permanent buh bye!

[gcruse]

LOL Thanks for the breeze. It lifted the curtain back just enough to see the workings.

[Donna Lee Nardo]

Hurray! Just caught this on rerun of Tony Snow; Bodine out!!!! Yeah!!!

[Donna Lee Nardo]

Yeah, and the story goes that Bodine cared more about stepping on precious Yemeni toes than helping -- or at least not outright blocking -- FBI anti-terrorism efforts in Yemen in past years. Remember the John O'Neil story?

[McGavin999]

One of the biggest failures of this group was not even looking like things were getting accomplished. They needed some PR moves. One of the first things that should have been done is to hire locals to clean up the mess. Trash removal could be done by anyone and would have given the people a feeling of their lives getting better. Even painting the hovels in Saddam City (or whatever they call it now) would have been something. They needed to get as many unskilled workers doing something as soon as possible and have them bring home a paycheck. It wouldn't cost that much. They could also begin by cleaning up the bombing sites and they could run off the looters because it would interfer with their "work". It doesn't take that much money over there. Unskilled workers were living on $3 a month, give them a small raise and get them to work.

[green team 1999]

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