My guess is he woke up with a camel head in his bed.
On Friday some quotes Iraq Administrator Paul Bremer made in 2001 were widely circulated. His statements that the Bush administration was dropping the ball on terrorism were direct and unequivocal. He was also in a position to know, having just chaired the National Commission on Terrorism, a bipartisan body formed by the Clinton administration to examine U.S. counterterrorism policies.
"The new administration seems to be paying no attention to the problem of terrorism. What they will do is stagger along until there's a major incident and then suddenly say, 'Oh, my God, shouldn't we be organized to deal with this?"
NOW:
"I am strongly supportive and grateful for the President's leadership and strategy in combating terrorism and protecting American national security throughout his first term in office."
Damn, that's quite a change in perspective, huh? I mean, wow.
There is also, naturally, the obligatory swipe at the Clinton administration -- the administration that formed the Commission he chaired.
Of course, his statements weren't regarding the previous 7 months, they were about what Bush had done since he took office. He said they "seem to be paying no attention to terrorism." Now he says he was referring to the previous 7 months, and apparently had meant to say Clinton administration when he said "new administration."
Remember, it's not a lie. He misspoke.
