More event setup and planning meetings.  Yee Haw!  We think we have the event set now; hopefully no major changes and we can get this thing done in the next few days.

 

Sorry for clogging everyone’s e-mail yesterday, but I thought you would like the photos.

 

For those of you with Fox News we have a military event tomorrow night in the studio with the Linda Vester Show which airs at 12:45 ET.  It should actually be a great event.  Vester has been very fair in her coverage.  Follow this link http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,118696,00.html to see some positive stories that she has actually put together.

 

Well another early morning and late night tomorrow so I am off.

 

Take Care Everyone!

 

Gregg Edgar

Coalition Provisional Authority

Office of Strategic Communications

Today was a little crazy.  We finished setting up for a main event that we don’t what day it will be.  The site turned out very good.  We were pleased.  We also set up for a Memorial Day event that we had tonight.  Ambassador Richmond read a letter from PM Blair, Ambassador Bremer gave a great speech and then intro’d a taped message from The President.  Brian set it up for us and we coordinated getting it sent in and put it up on the screen.  I think everyone appreciated it. 

 

I have attached several different photos.  The first is Airman Diehl with two brothers we met the other day while waiting for a Pizza.  Ali on the left is 14 and hopes to become a doctor.  Yahig (sp) on the right is 12 and wasn’t exactly sure what he wants to be, but when I asked him if he wanted to be a policemen his eyes perked up and he said yeah I want to be a policeman.  Both of them spoke really good English.  They told us that they are taught at the school they attend.  There is a glut of kids that roam the Green Zone.  They are usually around the Suk (flee market), the PX or the parking lot trying to sell DVD’s, candy or cigarettes.  Ali actually had a large box of Marlboros (No reds Christine) that he was trying to sell.  Unfortunately a lot of them learn their English from listening to the troops and contractors cussing in the parking lot.  I talked to them about school and they seemed to really like going.  All of these kids are good kids.  They have a hustler’s persona about them a lot of the time and will quite often tell you to “Give me this” or “Give me a dollar”, but I think that they just haven’t learned that it is cultural taboo.  They have a lot of people that just throw them a buck or whatever it is the kid wants.  So why not just ask for what you want.  Ali was particularly fascinated with a flashlight I carry. 

 

Airman Diehl, actually Senior Airman Diehl is one of our tech’s.  He is stationed at Elmendorf AFB in Alaska.  He is 23 and is married.  I am continually surprised at how many of these kid already are married with Children.  Diehl is a great kid.  He works his ass of for us and very rarely complains.  We did some unexpected rerouting of equipment today that he set up yesterday, which made him have to completely rework his setup.  No complaints, no whining, he just did it.  He also provides a lot of our comic entertainment.  

 

The other photos are from our Memorial Day event.  I am sending an e-mail with some other photos as well.  Most of them are so-so, but I thought you would all appreciate them.

 

Take Care Everyone!

 

Gregg Edgar

Coalition Provisional Authority

Office of Strategic Communications

 

Setup day today. We spent a lot of time setting up events today.  I am a little worn out actually so I will update tomorrow.

 

Take Care Everyone!

 

Gregg Edgar

Coalition Provisional Authority

Office of Strategic Communications

As you have all seen in the news by now the GC announced their endorsement of Iyad Allawi for Prime Minister of the Interim Government.  While the announcement is premature, it does seem that Mr. Allawi is a strong candidate for the position. 

 

The following is a very brief bio from BBC:

Mr Allawi, a British-educated neurologist, left Iraq after turning against Saddam Hussein in the 1970s. In 1978, while living in London, Mr Allawi survived an assassination allegedly ordered by Saddam Hussein. He later became a founding member of the Iraqi National Accord, a group of exiles backed by US and British intelligence that included many former military officers opposed to the Baghdad regime. His group for many years supported the idea that the US should try to foster a coup from within the Iraqi army. Its failure to engender this meant it became overshadowed by Mr Chalabi's Iraqi National Congress.

 

The new government is going to consist of a President and Two Vice Presidents called the Presidency Council.  The Government will be run by a Prime Minister and a council of ministers (Our Cabinet).  There will also be a National Assembly (Our Congress). 

 

As written in the TAL, elections for the National Assembly shall take place by 31 December 2004 if possible, and in any case no later than by 31 January 2005.  Elected by the populace, the National Assembly will elect the Presidency Council.  The Presidency Council will select a Prime Minister and, in consultation with the PM, the Council of Ministers.  The PM and Council of Ministers will be charged with organizing a government and obtaining a vote of confidence from the National Assembly. 

 

For the Interim Government, the UN’s Representative Lakhdar Brahimi, in consultation with the GC and the CPA will select the people who will fill the Presidency Council, The Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers seats.  It is believed that several of the existing ministers will maintain their posts, but the new PM will have significant input on that since they will be charged with running the country in the direction his government wants it to.

 

The Interim Government will lead from June 30, 2004 until elections in January 2005.

 

This process is what the GC lad out in the TAL and we are right on task to reach the TAL’s objectives.  I know that the press continues to push that we are falling off of our timeline. The fact of the matter is we are right on track. We will hand over sovereignty to the Iraqi’s on June 30.  Iraq will have elections in January and with any luck be on the road to solid future as a democratic country.

 

OK history lesson over.  We are working big events for the coming weeks so today was primarily more planning and prep work.

 

I am attaching a press release on a recent positive story below

 

Take Care Everyone!

 

Gregg Edgar

Coalition Provisional Authority

Office of Strategic Communications

 

 

Ministry of Agriculture Turns Saddam's Helicopter into Crop Duster

The Ministry of Agriculture recently conducted spraying of date palm trees using a Mi-2 helicopter from the former Saddam Hussein’s military.  This spraying is a component of its long-term plan to revitalize Iraq's date palm production, once the envy of the Middle East.

The aircraft was completely rebuilt by Iraqi maintenance technicians and flown by Iraqi pilots. It marked the first time an Iraqi aircraft had flown in more than a year in Iraq.

The spraying program eliminates pests and greatly enhances the production of date palms. The spray also has another beneficial effect in that it helps eliminate mosquitoes. An estimated 12,000 hectares of date palms received the application.

“The Ministry of Agriculture has made great progress in the past year and getting this program started is one of them,” said Mr. Peter King, Senior Advisor to the Ministry of Agriculture. He said next year the Ministry plans to expand the program nationwide, rehabilitate tissue labs for future production of date palms, and increase international marketing.

Dates are a national treasure for Iraq with both symbolic and economic significance. Earlier this year, the Ministry established 18 date palm orchards in 13 provinces. In one year, the nurseries will provide enough offshoots for 2,800 hectares of date palms for Iraqi farmers.
more

A thriving date palm industry would create thousands of jobs for Iraqis. It is a labor-intensive crop that requires pruning, pollinating, harvesting and marketing of the dates.

Potential sales of high quality dates range in price up to $3,500 per ton. It is estimated Iraq produces about 900,000 metric tons of dates annually, about 18% of the world market, but far below its output in the 1980s.

Twenty years ago, Iraq dominated the world date market. Iraq once had the largest area of date palm tree orchards in the world, with more than 30 million trees. The destruction of the Iran-Iraq war and the draining of southern marshes by the previous regime reduced the date palm tree population by more than half.

We made a presentation today to the Ambassador about some of our upcoming projects.  I felt that it went very well for us.  I am very impressed with the Ambassador.  We sat down with him for about 45 minutes and had good discussion in the room on what directions we would move.  He listened to everyone’s input but you never had any doubt that in the end he would make the decision. He is decisive, direct and you know when you are talking to him that he isn’t going to bullshit you or stand for you to bullshit him.

 

Afterwards, the team helped with Dr. Rubaie’s press conference regarding the agreement the Shiites reached with Moqtada Al Sadr.  We also helped the Arab Media Unit with their roundtable discussions with Ambassador Jones.

 

Gordon and I did a quick interview with Ch. 12 in Phoenix.  Lots of Softball questions which made things a lot easier.

 

I did see my friend Saher today, but did not have my camera with me for a photograph.  I will get him in the next few days.

 

Nothing else for tonight.

 

Take Care Everyone!

 

Gregg Edgar

Coalition Provisional Authority

Office of Strategic Communications

Big news coming out tonight.  It appears that Shiites have persuaded Sadr to leave Najaf.  As I have discussed with you before, Sadr was not making the Shiite leadership very happy.  It appears that they have demanded he leave the holy city.  More on this as it develops.

 

We handed over the Ministry of Environment today.  We held the event in Room 3 at the Convention Center, which was a little boring for us.  One would think that the Ministry of Environment would be in favor of a ceremony outside, but they wanted it in the convention center.  It was probably just as well as it was very hot here today.  It was probably low hundreds, but it felt a lot hotter for some reason today.  The hear is definitely going to get bad.

 

Ambassador Jones did the handover.  He is a very interesting guy.  I think I have mentioned before that he is #2 to Bremer.  He speaks fluent Arabic.  He was Ambassador to Kuwait prior to taking this posting.  I think the plan is that he will head back to Kuwait when the CPA disappears.

 

We also had a presser for Ambassador Bremer and several interviews from the studio.  

 

Gordon and I will be on Ch. 12’s AM news tomorrow somewhere between 6 and 6:30 am.

 

Another Crazy Day tomorrow so I am going to head to bed.

 

Take Care Everyone!

 

Gregg Edgar

Coalition Provisional Authority

Office of Strategic Communications

 

Today was a studio day.  Ambassador Bremer taped an interview with Campbell Brown of NBC at the studio.  We spent three hours setting up. Of course the first thing the Ambassador said when he walked into the studio was “Where is the bookshelf, I really liked that bookshelf.”

 

After the Ambassador finished, we had Adnan Pachachi on with CNN.  Afterwards we all took photos with Mr. Pachachi, which is attached.  I have also attached photos of our friends from NBC.  We work all the time with Steve, John and Rachel on the bottom of the photo.

 

Just a quick update tonight I am off to bed.

 

Gregg Edgar

Coalition Provisional Authority

Office of Strategic Communications

Shalonik (Shaw-lon-ik)  How are you?

 

Busy day today.  I regret to inform all of you that you will no longer be seeing the famed bookcase in our interviews from the palace.  At approx. 4:30 this morning the bookcase met an untimely end, as 270 lbs of pure man fell from 5’ a ladder and took the particle board masterpiece from us.  The bookcase will be missed.  Especially by General Kimmitt.

 

I didn’t see Saher today to get a picture of him.  I was at the convention center for a while today.  I was looking at the Auditorium they have there to see if we could help them with there sound system and lighting issues.  It always strikes me whenever I sit in the auditorium that I could be sitting in an auditorium anywhere in the states.  It is a great room that they have there.  They are having a concert in the next week with a pianist from Sweden performing with the Baghdad Symphony.  I am going to try to take some time to go se it.  I have sat in on some of the rehearsals that the orchestra holds.  They are very entertaining.

 

I hope all of you get an opportunity to watch the President tonight.  He is going to outline the progress that we have made here and lay down some of the goals that we hope to achieve by June 30. It should be a very good speech.

 

So tonight I am attaching a photo of Q, or as I like to call him My Boy Blue (If you haven’t seen Old School, you won’t get that).  Q is in the Air Force and is a photographer for Combat Camera.  He and his partner Eric, who is a videographer, are stationed at Vandenberg AFB in CA.  They come out with us on most of our events.  Q’s photos have been published all over the place.  Washington Times, Washington Post, etc.  He also participates in our weekly card game.  He is primarily a donor to the cause, so we really enjoy him playing with us.  Q is another shining example of what is right about the US Military.  He is a professional, practicing his craft in the service of his country and really doing a damn fine job of it.  Q is 25, 6’3” and he swears he is only 220.  Which I believe… he was back in 6^th grade.  He is reading as I type so I am making fun of him.  We have a lot of fun with Q and Eric.

 

Well I am off to bed.

 

Take Care Everyone!

 

Gregg Edgar

Coalition Provisional Authority

Office of Strategic Communications

Shaku Maku? (Shaw-Koo Ma-Koo)  Which means Wwwwhhhhhhaaaaaatttttt’’’’’ssss Uuuuuuupppppp!  Just try and say it without getting a smile on your face.  The Iraqi’s all give a big smile when they say it.

 

Planning, Planning, Planning!  That’s what we did today.  I must have had a good half-dozen meetings today.  All about a bunch of stuff I can’t tell you about.  

 

So I thought I would tell you a couple of stories about Sadirhi (sa-dear-he) which means My Friends.  The first is Ahmed, I have attached his picture.  He does custodial work here in the Palace.  The studio is on his floor and he usually comes by to see us once a day. He is probably 22 or 23. He speaks pretty good English, definitely much better than my Arabic.  He is actually trying to teach us Arabic.  I have a sheet of paper that I keep on my desk with some key phrases he has written down for me.  He is a very nice guy.  Because of all of the studio equipment He comes and talks to us regularly about tech issues.  He was asking us about cameras yesterday.  His brother is getting married soon and he wants to get a small video camera for the wedding.  He was asking us about costs. I think we scared him off them unfortunately.  

 

The second is Saher.  I don’t have a photo of him yet.  I will take one tomorrow.  He works at the Convention Center as a Laborer.  He is probably in his early 40’s.  He has three daughters 3, 8 and 11.  He helps us all of the time at the convention center.  He gave us a big hand when we were taking down the setup for the trial and I had an opportunity to chat with him a little more.  His brother lives in Nashville and works at one of the car plants there.  With his new phone in his house he is able to talk regularly with his brother now. Saher speaks pretty good English as well.  When we were talking the other day he told me that he spends two hours every night learning English.  I keep asking about Arabic phrases as well and he keeps asking me if he can bring me an English/Arabic Dictionary.  “Please sir may I bring you a book, it has English and Arabic?”  He is very proper and concerned about doing things and saying things the right way.  He gets mad at me all of the time, because when he helps us I like to give him a little extra cash.  “Please sir how can I be your friend if I take your money?”  The Laborers work for IPBD who has a subcontract with KBR to maintain the convention center.  They are paid what is a decent wage here, something like $25/week.  In order to keep inflation down KBR has to pay on a scale that is equivalent to going rates here.  Whenever we use the local labor to help us do things, we like to try and augment that a little bit.  A few bucks here and there, nothing extravagant.  Saher gets mad at me every time.

 

Both of these guy’s are just the easiest going people and they would go way out of their way to help you.

 

Well Masalama (Mas-a-la-ma) or Goodbye for tonight.

 

Take Care Everyone!

 

Gregg Edgar

Coalition Provisional Authority

Office of Strategic Communications

We have reached the 39 day mark, not that I am counting or anything.  We are going to start a major push on regional media this week that I am quite excited about.  Regional media is actually where we get the biggest bang. First more people watch there local news than they do the national news. Second, the locals are more likely to give you an opportunity to present your side of the story without major rebuttal.  They will ask the tough questions, but they are usually fair about their presentation of the story and give you the opportunity to say your peace.  Third they usually have three news programs that they are trying to fill so you will get a little more out of your piece.  Be watching for us in your regional markets.

 

We have also started to plan various events leading up to the full transition.  I think these are going to turn out fantastic, so be watching for them coming down the pipe.  Today was all planning and paperwork for me..  The team also handed over the Ministry of Youth and Sport today.

 

Wel I am gouing on about 28 hours right now so I am headed to bed.

 

Take Care Everyone!

 

Gregg Edgar

Coalition Provisional Authority

Office of Strategic Communications

Today was a little quieter.  We cleaned up our equipment that we used for the trial and then we went out to a Soccer game between the Iraqi media and Stratcom.  Stratcom put up a good fight in the first half, but folded in the second eventually losing 5-0.  There is a small chance that the Iraqi’s stacked the deck against them but regardless it was a lot of fun for everyone.

 

For the rest of the day I have kind of stayed unplugged.  I did a little bit of e-mailing and then I took a little walk this afternoon, just to get some fresh air and get out of the Convention Center and the studio for a while.

 

As I am sure you all are aware there was some news today regarding Ahmed Chalabi.  I don’t have all of the details yet, but a number of his associates have been arrested and charged by the Iraqi Security Forces and the Iraqi Central Criminal Court.  The charges appear to be related to corruption issues and potential human rights issues. Chalabi is a controversial member of the GC.  I will forward more info as I get it.

 

We did an interview last night for Gordon with channel 5 in phoenix.  They e-mailed a link to the story over to me and I thought that you might like to see it. http://www.kpho.com/Global/Video/WorldNowASX.asp?ClipID=208469&ClientSkip=Yes

 

The photos I attached are from today’s game.  I think you will see that we had a great time.  Alex in the first picture is our Scheduler.  He is great guy and brilliant.  Christina has made friends with every kid in this country.  This is the Iraqi goal keeper celebrating after one of their goals.  He did a little jig to the Bagpipe’s that were playing.  We work with him all of the time.  He is a very good guy.  Sgt. Leis has been instrumental in our operations here in the studio.  He is probably the only guy who really knows what he is doing in here.

 

Well I am off to finish laundry.

 

Take Care Everyone!

 

Gregg Edgar

Coalition Provisional Authority

Office of Strategic Communications

Well today was Court Martial all day.  We started with three arraignments this morning for three of the MP’s from the 372^nd.  In the afternoon we had the Court Martial for Specialist Jeremy Sivits also of the 372^nd.  Sivits had a plea agreement negotiated with the prosecution, but he still had to testify to the judge about his involvement in the crimes at Abu Graihb.  It was the first time that I have ever participated in a legal proceeding of this type and it was a fascinating experience.  For the majority of the trial, Judge Pohl had a conversation with Sivits that detailed what he participated in as well as what he witnessed.  There were some very sick things going on inside of this prison. 

 

Sivits case was interesting on many levels.  To begin with Sivits is not an MP or in any way associated with guarding the prison.  He is a mechanic.  His primary function was to maintain the MP’s vehicles and keep them running.  He got involved when on Nov. 8^th Staff Sgt Frederick asked him to help with a detainee. He did and ended up throwing his prisoner into a pile of men of the floor.  He then took a photo of another soldier pretending to punch a detainee in the head.  He is also seen in several other photos with a large shit eating grin on his face.  He reported nothing to his superiors after the incident and in the end did not come forward until the CID came to speak to him about the incident.

 

I think the thing I found most interesting about the trial was Sivits himself.  I, like a lot of Americans, wanted to believe that these guys were monsters.  I did not want to believe that normal everyday soldiers or people for that matter could perpetrate such acts. I think it is the only way we can understand the actions of these soldiers.  But that is what he is, an average everyday person who was involved in a completely sadistic act. 

 

After listening to Sivits story, I felt for him.  He is a guy who ended up at the wrong place at the wrong time and who did not stand up for what was right.  There was a specialist that testified today who, like Sivits, had escorted a prisoner into the 1 Tier at Abu Graihb, but refused to participate and the immediately reported the incident to his Chain of Command.  If Sivits had done the same thing, he would be a free man right now. 

 

Background on Sivits.  He is from Hyndman, PA a town of 45 people.  He is an only child and was the first person to graduate High School in his family.  When not in the reserves he is an automobile mechanic, assistant High School Baseball coach and a Little League Coach.  His goal in life was to be soldier.  In his final statement to the judge he pleaded with the judge to be able to remain in the army.  He was very emotional throughout the trial.  In particular when he was recounting that 30 minutes of his life.  He lost his voice several times and had to pause to clear regain his compsure.

 

Col. Pohl was fantastic and professional in every way.  I really enjoyed working with him.  I think I mentioned the other day that the people from the Judges Team had the right focus on these trials.  That stems for the judge himself.  I was most impressed that even though this was a plea agreement, he would not let the prosecution walk all over the defendants.  Some of the witnesses that the prosecution called had no link to Sivits and the judge shut them right down.

 

I will send you more on the trial.  I am working on hour #19 after about 4 hours of sleep.

 

Take Care Everyone.

 

P.S. Gordon did some interviews with Ch. 5 in Phoenix that should be up tonight!

 

Gregg Edgar

Coalition Provisional Authority

Office of Strategic Communications

We held the funeral today for Dr. Salim.  We held the event in the GC building which is in the Green Zone next door to the convention center.  It was a very nice ceremony.  W provided A/V assistance and some of folks helped with the media.  We showed up this morning and the Arabic media had already shown up and placed their Mic Flags all over the Podium.  I swear if the Coffin had been in place they would have tried to put their flags on that. A Mic Flag is like when you see Fox news interviewing someone and they have the Mic in there face with the big Fox News Logo on it.  The Arabic Media guys are huge on it.  We spend a lot of time in interviews setting up their flags so they get them in the shot just right.  I kicked them all off the podium this morning and pissed them all off.  I have attached some photos from the funeral.

 

After the funeral we spent the rest of the day working on the setup of the Court Marshall.  We met with the Judge today.  He seems like a great guy.  He definitely has the right focus for these trials.  The accused will get a fair hearing despite the media efforts.  The media are already trying to create an OJ esque event. The satellite trucks are already double parked and the lawn where we held the 100 day event is all marked off by the Networks claiming there space for their live shots.  Insisde though the hammer will be brought down on them if they act up.

 

Early morning tomorrow.  All trial all day!

 

Take Care Everyone!

 

Gregg Edgar

Coalition Provisional Authority

Office of Strategic Communications

 

I am sure you have heard the two lead stories out of Iraq today.  First let me say that while what happened to Dr. Salim is tragic, his efforts will not be diminished.  The terrorists will not be successful in their efforts to derail democracy in Iraq.  We heard the explosion very clearly here at the Palace.  I was at the studio getting prepared to head over to the Convention Center to do some work on the upcoming trial.  While quite a distance away from us, it rattled the balcony doors of the studio.  The attack occurred close to the checkpoint on the main road to BIAP.  In addition to Dr. Salim, six other Iraqi’s were killed and two soldiers were injured.  Tomorrow we will be involved in Dr. Salim’s funeral which I am sure will be a very sobering and somber experience.

 

As to the reports on the Sarin mortars, I do not have a lot of details.  All I have so far is that Gen. Kimmitt has said that the weapons were not effective and the military does not see a significant threat from the way the weapons were used.  I will update as I hear more.

 

I keep using my poor cousin Andy’s questions and comments as fodder for the updates.  The guy is going to start to develop a complex or maybe he knows he is just so insightful (you owe me $20 for that).

 

Andy’s comments

Pretty good piece... even if you did have help.  I'm a bit worried about the one line in there that I read and I also hear quite often else where.  "We cannot fail because we have too much to lose," or words to that effect.  The problem is that it is entirely possible that we could fail.  This worthy experiment will either work or it won't.  I really hope it succeeds though... because it would give use justification to do more of the same to either nations that both pose us a threat and oppress their people... and perhaps the threat alone would be enough leverage in and of itself to make other nations come to heel.  Having studied a great deal of history, however, I do know that this is going to be a bumpy ride.  The Roman Empire did succeed in this type of task, but they did it by transplanting their culture itself into other places.  We are not doing that here.  We are giving them a framework we call Democracy.  In this framework the state is above religion.  In our own culture, Western Culture that is, this has been acceptable and has been to varying degrees for the past two millenia.  This is not the case in the Middle East.  Religion has vastly more say in what people can and cannot do... and this is true albeit to a somewhat lesser degree in Iraq itself.  I hope this obstacle can be surmounted.  And I think it can because, at heart, all people want freedom... I mean the Mel Gibson Braveheart kind of freedom.  And people in the Middle East are no exception in my opinion.  But if I were a betting man I would lay down some hefty coin on this getting a whole lot crazier before it gets better. 

Stay safe homefry!

-Andy

 

A couple of points to Andy’s comments:

 

1. Failure is not an option!  I too have had concerns about the use of this phrase.  Let’s face it Christian societies have been trying to remold the Muslim Middle East for centuries, really to no avail.  Which is why a lot of us Bush Supporter’s recoiled when The Boss accidentally referred to the war as a crusade.  In the end I think the phrase comes down to a couple of key points and in the end why I felt comfortable using it in the op-ed piece.  
   1. There is a significant amount invested in this endeavor.  In terms of American Blood, American dollars, American pride and American dominance in the world. The President and thus the country have said that Iraq is going to be the turning point.  We are coming at tyranny.  We are coming at the terrorist and we are going to start changing the lives of people in the Middle East.  If we eliminate those that enslave these people we should be able to live in peace.  I think one thing that both Gordon and I have found in all of our travels and especially here is that people have the same cares and worries everywhere.  Education issues are just more amplified when insurgents are storing guns in your kid’s school.  Will there always be Zealots?  Of course, what would the world be without its zealots? But if you give people a taste of freedom, it is hard for them to give it away.  If you give people a chance to determine their own fate, it is also hard for them to give up.  Optimism at its best!
   2. As Americans, I think we live to rise to the challenge.  Phrases like “Failure is not an option” are pure John Wayne.  Send what you want at us pilgrim and we will keep coming right back at you.  Failure is a concept that we as Americans have a hard time relating too.  That is why what happened in Vietnam was so demoralizing for our country.  Our policies and actions failed there and it took us a decade to recoop from that.  The situation in Iraq is very much different.  I will make this as plain as I possibly can.  Iraq is not Vietnam.  The only similarity is created by the media.  It will be a long haul for us to get this country to where it needs to be, but we are not going to leave the Iraqi’s to fend for themselves.  Hopefully our actions will prompt people throughout the region to stand up for their rights as individuals.  I am not holding my breath, but one can hope.
2. The US vs. The Roman Empire!  Another subject I often think about.  Will New York someday be noted by its ruins like Rome is today?  A great civilization lost to its own excess.  The biggest difference to the conquests of the Romans and the Conquests of the US, since Manifest Destiny we have given back all that we have conquered and built it stronger than it was before.  Caesar did not have a Marshall Plan.  He did no permit the Egyptians to draft their own constitution.  He most definitely did not hand back sovereignty to his conquered lands within 15 months. 
3. Islam’s Influence.  It goes without saying that religion has a significant impact on the lives of Iraqi’s.  The key to make the religion issue work in democracy’s favor is that Islam is so varied.  There are significant differences between the Shia and Sunni.  There are only two ways that they can exist peacefully together.  They have already tried the demigod and didn’t like it.  Democracy is the only way that they will be able to guarantee the rights of their people as a whole.  That doesn’t mean that they will have American style democracy.  They have to make it so it conforms to their society.  Religion will be a task in this new government, but Iraq has a strong history as a secular country.  Hell Tariq Aziz is Christian.

 

Off to bed now.

 

Take Care Everyone!

 

 

-----Original Message-----
Sent: Sunday, May 16, 2004 7:54 PM
To: Edgar, Gregg Mr. (CIV)
Subject: Re: Op-ed Piece in the AZ Republic

 

Pretty good piece... even if you did have help.  I'm a bit worried about the one line in there that I read and I also hear quite often else where.  "We cannot fail because we have too much to lose," or words to that effect.  The problem is that it is entirely possible that we could fail.  This worthy experiment will either work or it won't.  I really hope it succeeds though... because it would give use justification to do more of the same to either nations that both pose us a threat and oppress their people... and perhaps the threat alone would be enough leverage in and of itself to make other nations come to heel.  Having studied a great deal of history, however, I do know that this is going to be a bumpy ride.  The Roman Empire did succeed in this type of task, but they did it by transplanting their culture itself into other places.  We are not doing that here.  We are giving them a framework we call Democracy.  In this framework the state is above religion.  In our own culture, Western Culture that is, this has been acceptable and has been to varying degrees for the past two millenia.  This is not the case in the Middle East.  Religion has vastly more say in what people can and cannot do... and this is true albeit to a somewhat lesser degree in Iraq itself.  I hope this obstacle can be surmounted.  And I think it can because, at heart, all people want freedom... I mean the Mel Gibson Braveheart kind of freedom.  And people in the Middle East are no exception in my opinion.  But if I were a betting man I would lay down some hefty coin on this getting a whole lot crazier before it gets better. 

Stay safe homefry!

-Andy
 

So as anyone who has worked with the military knows (and even if you haven’t you would probably guess) the military is very regimented and likes to be extremely planned out, not always well planned but definitely planned.  So when we were called in two day’s ago to assist with an event at the Al Faw Palace or Water Palace as we call it, we were a little unsure how much influence we would be able to assert on the event.  

 

The event was for the Change of Command ceremony from Combined Joint Task Force Seven (CJTF7) to the Multi-National Force Iraq and the Multi-National Corps Iraq.  This is going to be a little confusing, but I am going to do my best at explaining what has occurred here.  CJTF7 was a Three-Star command under the command of Lt. Gen. Sanchez.  CJTF7 ran the military show in Iraq.  Officially, it was charged with conducting offensive operations to defeat remaining noncompliant forces and neutralize destabilizing influences in Iraq in direct support of CPA.  Concurrently conducting stability operations which support the establishment of government and economic development to set the conditions for a transfer of operations to designated follow on military or civilian authorities (Man those mission statement writers can be long winded). 

 

There has been concern for quite a while that CJTF7’s mission has been too broad and thus more difficult to completely accomplish.  So some time ago, it was decided to break it into two separate commands.  Multi-National Corps Iraq will focus on the tactical fight -- the day-to-day military operations and the maneuvering of the six multinational divisions on the ground. Army Lt. Gen. Thomas F. Metz will command the corps. Meanwhile, Multinational Force Iraq will focus on more strategic aspects of the military presence in Iraq, such as talking with sheiks and political leaders, and on training, equipping and fielding Iraqi security forces.  Army Lt. General Sanchez will command the Force.  It is my understanding that the Corps will still report to the Force in the end.  The Multi-National Force will be a Four Star Command.  It is rumored that Sanchez will receive a fourth star in a month or so.

 

A little more history on our coming to the event. The day before we were asked to help, the Military PAO team at the water palace had to hastily produce an event with Sec. Rumsfeld talking to the troops, which while well received, was not up to Cabinet level production.  In defense of the palace team, it was last minute and they are not trained for these types of events.  None-the-less, we heard about it from Washington, because they thought we had done it.  Oops. 

 

The military had been planning the hand over for quite a while with Gen. Sanchez being heavily involved in the planning.  Our team went over the day before the event and set up our equipment and got a lay of the land from the folks at the Water Palace.  I got pulled into an IPR (In progress review) meeting.  I think I have made the comment before about the insane amount of Colonels that work at the CPA Palace.  It does not even compare to the amount of them at the water palace.  I think they might have Colonels who clean the toilets there.  Needless to say the meeting was filled with Col.’s.  I was sitting with my back to the door joking around with Lt. Col. Baggio who commands the unit we regularly work with when the door opened and attention was called.  The pucker factor was incredible when the Three Star came into the room.   Nobody was expecting him. 

 

But I digress, the Lt. Col. that was in charge of the organization of the event briefed the General in great detail.  Not to sound even remotely critical, but the event was not that difficult.  There was a presentation of all the colors of the Coalition Members, the retirement of the CJTF7 flag, the unveiling of the Force and Corps flags and then three speeches, by General Sanchez, General Metz, and the Iraqi General in Command of Iraqi Forces in Iraq.  I am really pissed at myself at the moment because I can’t find his name and he is the primary reason I am writing about this. 

 

The planners had planned everything down to each step.  There were three separate rehearsals.  Each soldier carrying a flag had his spot marked on the floor so he wouldn’t miss it.  The band director had been carefully placed so he could see the Sgt. Major for his cues.  The Generals had all been thoroughly briefed on their movements.  Hell, the narrator had even been given instructions to speak slower so everybody could better understand her.  But as I have learned in my time putting on events, in the end it is what you don’t plan for that makes or breaks an event.  In this case it made it.

 

The flags all came out and the soldiers hit their marks.  The band was flawless.  CJTF7 was retired and MNFI and MNCI were unveiled.  General Sanchez and General Metz were right on cue.  Then the CG for the Iraqi forces took the podium and took the event to the next level. His remarks focused on how grateful he was to the coalition for delivering his country from Saddam.  Something we don’t always hear, but that is not uncommon.  Then he talked about his excitement at having the opportunity to return Iraq’s military to the proud and professional service that it was prior to Saddam.  Completely understandable for his new position.  Finally he concluded his speech and unexpectedly marched around the podium and stood at attention in front of the new Command Flags and saluted.  Then he marched around the corner of the Coalition Flags to the Iraqi Flag which was in its position alphabetically like the rest of the flags (including the US).  He came to attention and saluted the Iraqi Flag.  Then he stepped forward and Kissed the Iraqi Flag for what was probably seconds, but seemed like forever.  No confusion about where his loyalties are.  He then stepped back marched in front of the Coalition Flags and saluted the Coalition and then marched back to his place in front of the room.  The last parts were to a standing ovation from all of the military members civilian members present at the event.

 

I have sent Jess a video of the final parts of the ceremony.  It should be up on the website this week.

 

When that was all done we went and welcomed home the Soccer team with Ambassador Bremer.  I have included photos from that event up above.

 

I have also included a fairly positive story about Fallujah from AP down below.

 

Well that will do me for tonight.

 

Take Care Everyone!

 

Gregg Edgar

Coalition Provisional Authority

Office of Strategic Communications

I thought you all would be interested in this.  Gordon and I (with a lot of help) wrote an op-ed piece for Today’s Arizona Republic.

 

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/viewpoints/articles/0516james0516.html#

 

Gregg Edgar

Coalition Provisional Authority

Office of Strategic Communications

Just a quick update tody.  I am heading off to bed early after a couple of short nights and long days.  I have attached some photos of our events today.  I will write tomorrow to give you an update on today’s events.

 

Take Care Everyone!

 

Gregg Edgar

Coalition Provisional Authority

Office of Strategic Communications

I got to sleep in a little bit today, but it still ended up being pretty busy.  They are changing the military structure a little bit here.  CJTF7 is going away and they are now bringing in the Multi National Force Iraq.  The new command will be a 4 star command and CJTF7 was a 3 star command.  It will give more resources to General Sanchez.  We are doing a ceremony for that tomorrow which will be kind of cool.  We set everything up today and are supportng the event tomorrow. We spent a good deal of time at the Water Palace today.  This place is pretty crazy.  I will send some photos of it tomorrow. 

 

The team also worked today on a meeting with the boss and the Reps from Ba’Qubah.  We got to see a couple of our friends from there today.  We also managed to pull off Seven interviews in the studio today.  Very busy and tomorrow will be even more so.

 

Well I am going to head to bed here pretty quick.  I have attached some comments from today’s Senor Kimmitt show.  I thought the General gave a good description of what I have been talking about with the different enemy forces here in Iraq.

 

Take Care Everyone!

 

 

            Q     Jim Rupert, Newsday.  General Kimmitt, just to understand your thinking here, what's the difference between counterinsurgency and guerrilla warfare?

 

            GEN. KIMMITT:  Well, probably neither of them are correct very simply because both a guerrilla war, and to some extent a counterinsurgency, have some sort of end state that they are seeking. And that's one of the hardest parts that we've been having in understanding what causes some of the outbreaks of violence in this country.  They certainly don't have any unifying theme.  What unifying them would they have?  Return this country -- in the case of the former regime elements, return this country to an authoritarian dictatorship such as Saddam?  Well, I'm not sure my troops would rally around that flag.  Or perhaps in the case of Muqtada, to bring it to some sort of radical religious state, such as the Taliban tried to achieve in Afghanistan.  I don't think we have the vast majority of Iraqis attempting to rally around that flag.

 

            I think what we're seeing, perhaps, are some isolated incidents of what our secretary of Defense often calls "deadenders," who are trying to create and trying to attempt to push this process of democratization off the rails.  We're talking relatively small numbers in the proportions of 25 to 26 million people here inside of Iraq. And the fact is, we have not seen great numbers of people clinging to the cause of Muqtada.  The vast majority of Shi'a in the south despise his activities, despise what he has done to a family name that means so much to the Shi'a religion, condemn his tactics, and condemn his abusive militia.

 

            In the case of what's happening -- or what happened in Fallujah, the foreign fighters who were trying to incite, perhaps, a sectarian warfare in inside this country, they have even less to cause people to bring allegiance to.

 

            So all I know is we have the enemy out there, and that's an enemy that is not only an enemy of the coalition forces, but it's an enemy of the free people of Iraq who are seeking to move on to democracy, sovereignty; to enjoy the freedoms and liberty of the press, of speech, of religion -- the things that we take for granted.  And the coalition continues to work in partnership with the Iraqi people so that these small elements, such as Muqtada's militia, such as the foreign fighters, such as some of the former regime elements, do not, one, as suggested earlier, turn from an embryo into something larger; but even more importantly, prevent the overwhelming voice of the   people of Iraq, which is moving towards democracy, sovereignty and freedom, to try to stop that voice from being heard.

 

Gregg Edgar

Coalition Provisional Authority

Office of Strategic Communications

We are back safe and sound from Amman.  The trip was frustrating but great for the Iraqi’s.  We took Ambassador Jones to the Iraqi vs. Saudi Arabia Olympic Soccer Qualifier.  The game was fantastic.  Iraq won 3-1.  Kuwait and Oman tied making it so Iraq goes to the Olympics.  Apparently the celebratory gunfire was incredible in Baghdad.

 

We went up on Tuesday morning.  Christina, myself and two of our PSD’s flew up together.  Eric had been in DC to attend his Grandfather’s funeral at Arlington and meant us in Amman.  It sounds like it was a very moving moment for Eric. 

 

Originally we were going to take Ambassador Bremer up, but because of scheduling issues he could not go.  When it switched to being Ambassador Jones, our departure got pushed back and the frustrations ensued from there.  Let me just give the synopsis of the frustrations.

 

1. Somehow the Game time on our schedule was 4 hours earlier than the actual game, which meant that a simple in and out trip turned into an overnight with less than 24 hours to organize it.
2. Three or more people were taking care of the same hotel rooms giving us bookings at four different hotels.
3. This morning we had laid on a big celebration for the team (who was supposed to fly with us) at BIAP and the team decided to stay and shop.
4. On game day for the first time ever I had all of the following things happen on the same advance
   1. Jump car (My vehicle) breaks down as I am trying to advance the site
   2. Jump into a cab to get to the site
   3. Cab proceeds to get a speeding ticket
   4. After the game Jump into the bus to go back to the hotel and he bus proceeds to get into an accident (just a fender bender really) in the middle of the only gate that leads out of the stadium.  The driver refuses to move the bus because of insurance issues.
   5. Motorcade this morning departs hotel en route Ambassador’s residence for breakfast. Chase car (that I am in) runs over cones and gets them wedged into the tire well.  We lose the motorcade for a little bit.

Any one of those things happens all of the time on an advance, but to have them all at once goes to prove that you can never say you have seen it all.

 

In the end all was right with the world and we were all excited for the Iraqi team and really for the Iraqi people.  Soccer like in most parts of the world is king.  Our delegation had a great time at the game and with their brief visit to Amman.  We concluded last night by having a very large dinner with the Ambassador.

 

I am sending two separate sets of photos  The victory.bmp image, was one I stole from our press release.  Also on this page are some photos from dinner.  The second e-mail listed some photos of pre-game.  I sent Jess an e-mail that has a movie about the crowd.

 

Speaking of the crowd. There were approx. 550 people in the seats.  About 95% of those people were rooting for the Iraqis.  They had some good lung power.  They didn’t stop the whole game.  

 

Well I am still trying to get recovered from the whirl wind trip So I am going to head to bed.

 

Take Care Evryone!

 

Gregg Edgar

Coalition Provisional Authority

Office of Strategic Communications

 

FYI

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Phalen, Susan A. (CIV)
Sent: Thursday, May 13, 2004 10:45 PM
Subject: TRANSCRIPT - May 13, 2004 - REMARKS BY SECRETARY OF DEFENSE DONALD RUMSFELD AND GENERAL RICHARD MYERS, CHAIRMAN, JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF AT TOWN HALL MEETING WITH U.S. TROOPS

 

REMARKS BY SECRETARY OF DEFENSE DONALD RUMSFELD

AND GENERAL RICHARD MYERS, CHAIRMAN, JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF

AT TOWN HALL MEETING WITH U.S. TROOPS

 

LOCATION:  BAGHDAD, IRAQ

 

TIME:  10:37 A.M. EDT

DATE:  THURSDAY, MAY 13, 2004

We handed over the Ministry of Water Resources today.  It was a very good event, but we were all let down a little bit because we couldn’t go to their ministry.  It turned out very nice though and I think the Ambassador was happy.

 

We have also gotten involved in the upcoming Courts Martial (yes that is the appropriate way to say it).  We had some meetings with the JAG office to discuss the layout and organization of the trial.  I was very pleased to see that the focus of the JAG members was on the fair treatment of the Accused.  There is definitely a feeling in the air that the Army and, in reality, the US are on trial for the actions of these few.  It is  the topic of conversation for all of the members of the military and the CPA.  Most people here believe that the accused have humiliated us all, but the JAG folks have the right focus.  They have a very important job to do, both in terms of repairing the relationships here in Iraq and in terms of guaranteeing the rights of the accused.

 

I am heading to Amman tomorrow for the Iraq vs. Saudi Soccer Match.  Iraq has to win in order to have an opportunity to make the Olympics.  Christina and I are heading up and are going to return on Thursday.  Should be a good time.  I will get to sleep in a real bed for the first time in 87 days, not that I am counting or anything.  We are both really excited to go hang out in Amman.  It is supposed to be a great town.  I will be checking e-mail and should be able to send updates.

 

We have one more Mother’s Day shot scheduled for tonight.  Anybody watching Neil Cavuto’s show on Fox News will see Specialist Webb on tonight.  He is a good friend of the Advance team.  He turned 21 while here, but looks like he is 12.  We have a lot of fun with him and were very happy to put him up with his mother.

 

Well I have to go set the shot up now.

 

Take Care Everyone!

 

Gregg Edgar

Coalition Provisional Authority

Office of Strategic Communications

We had a pretty good day today.  We had three Mothers Day interviews. We put three separate soldiers up to see their families in the States.  We also had the UN’s Brahimi in the studio with Al Arabia.  He is becoming a regular for us.  The soldier interviews went very well.  We had Sgt. Coon up first.  He is a big southern boy that we put up to see his wife and kids.  He was choking back the tears through the whole interview.  We then had Specialist Perez up who talked with her parents.  Finally tonight we had Col. Morganthaler up with her husband son and daughter.  These were very rewarding shots for us.  Especially with all of the negative the troops have been getting with Abu Graihb.

 

I want to take a minute to correct something I heard Geraldo saying tonight.  He usually is pretty good to us, but I just saw him reporting about an attack here in Baghdad.  He is giving way too much credit to Sadr.  He made a comment that Sadr’s Militia is attacking across the country. He also stated that the bombings in Basra were committed by Sadr. That is just not correct.  The bombings in Basra were committed by Zarqawi from Al Qaeda.  There is no way that the two are working together.  Zarqawi is a Sunni and working with Sunni’s in Fallujah and throughout Iraq to destroy anything that we do.  Sadr is a Shia who is operating in Najaf.  He has sympathizers throughout the country but his hardcore support is as small as 500 people in Najaf.  As I said yesterday, I was speaking with the new Governor of Najaf yesterday and he is convinced that if we wanted to we could eliminate the militia in 1 day.  So Geraldo’s claims are off based.

 

I have some trips coming up in the next week.  Some great events coming up and we are also trying to get some very cool items up on the news.  So keep your eyes open.

 

Watch for Gunny Mayo tonight on Geraldo.  She will be in the studio bright and early Baghdad time to see her family for Mothers Day.

 

I am off to bed.  Have to be back in here in a few hours.

 

Take Care Everyone!

 

Gregg Edgar

Coalition Provisional Authority

Office of Strategic Communications

Just to catch you up on the past couple of days.  On Thursday, Eric, Diehl and I went out to the Police Academy to the graduation of the third class of police officers.  They put another 470 police officers out onto the street.  We saw our buddy Mel again.  (The 6’5 Scott)  We had a great event .  I have attached a movie file of the police marching band.  

 

Over the past two days we have been doing interviews for Brahimi from the UN.  We put him up with the Arab Media to discuss the latest developments in the electoral process.

 

Today we handed over the Ministry for Displacement and Migration.  It was a very small event with about 15 guests and 15 news.  Ambassador Jones filled in for the Ambassador Bremer.  He speaks fluent Arabic and is completely impressive.  He did a great job.

 

I then went and helped the Arab Media unit with interviews with the new Governor of Najaf.  I sat and talked with him for a while, and he is a great guy.  He has a tough job ahead of him with disarming Sadr’s militia peacefully. He is very optimistic about Najaf’s potential.  He speaks fluent English, again completely impressive.  I talked to him a bit about Sadr.  He said that Sadr’s militia if 500 or less.  His sympathizers are there because of the good name his family.

 

Well I have got to go to bed.

 

Take Care Everyone!

 

Gregg Edgar

Coalition Provisional Authority

Office of Strategic Communications

Sorry that I didn't write last night.  I was very tired after several busy days.  I have some reports to give on that, but will get to that tomorrow.  I had some questions from my cousin Andy and my friend Mendy about concerns over the issues at Abu Graihb.  I am going to spend tonight commenting on these issues.  Their questions lead with my answers following:

 

From Andy

 

I'm seeing these pictures of the Iraqi prisoners and I'm trying to keep it all in context... or perhaps I'm trying to discover the true context... I'm not sure which.  But one thing is clear for civilized non-combatants like myself it's certainly horrific.  I'm wondering if and how the Administration can mount a successful PR campaign to, if not put a positive spin on it (because I can't see how that's remotely possible), but at least get a neutral spin on it.

 

I think I see what they're doing.  Everyone in the chain of command seems to be coming out and being perfectly honest about things... or as honest as national security can allow them to be.  I just felt a little bit of despair watching the Toad... I mean Senator Kennedy... questioning Rumsfeld.  I don't think he really is as shocked and dismayed as he claimed.  If anyone knows about perverted acts it would be the senior senator from Massachusetts.  But that wasn't the worst part.  McCain got up there and badgered Rumsfeld and made him look completely uncooperative.  Rumsfeld would start to answer the question and McCain would repeatedly interrupt him to say "Just answer the question."  I'll tell you this, though, every Senator there seemed to be filing away sound-bites of themselves looking tough on the Administration for future use in campaigns.  I understand the Dems doing that, but not the Elephants.  The Dems are supposed to run on the mistakes of the Administration but surely the republicans aren't... unless they don't want Bush to be re-elected. 

 

Am I missing something here?  I seem to remember the Dems circling the wagons around Clinton at every opportunity and protecting him.  They seem to recognize that the President is the most important piece on the chess board.  I just don't get that vibe from the Republicans... at least not to the same extent as the Dems under Clinton.  Am I missing something here?  Is this just a basic difference between us and them?  Does this fall under the category of us being less likely to drink the cool-aid?

 

First and foremost I would say that the Elephants have very real feelings of disgust about this issue, as they should.  I think the dems see this as a crack in the armor.  The more they can make Iraq look like a failure, the better their chances are at beating us.

 

The reality is that our best defense here is the truth.  The best PR move the elephants can do politically, ethically and in the best interest of the Iraqi people is make sure that the US finds the complete and total truth.  Bring the people involved to justice and hold this up as the standard for what the difference is between the past and the present.

 

As far as the personal attacks, I think they are reflecting Congress' affront at finding out about the gravity of the situation from 60 minutes.  I keep hearing them say over and over again that you were up here the day before and didn't say anything, blah, blah, blah.  Their pissed that someone didn't think they were important enough to let them know bad things had happened.

 

I don't feel that this is a cover up.  I know I am biased, but the truth is we have been putting information out there since we began the investigations and no one pushed for more info until 60 minutes put the photos out there.  The truth also is that the story should never have been on 60 minutes at this juncture.  The investigations are not concluded.  We don't know the whole truth yet.  A top secret investigative report was leaked to CBS.  They aired it with little concern for its ramifications.

 

The one thing that continues to be ignored in here is that the people in those photos have rights.  Both the ones being abused and the ones who are abusing them. Is what they appear to do deplorable, absolutely, but they have the right to have their guilt proven.  I think the comments or lack there of from Senior Administration officials reflects a genuine desire to give these people a fair trial and come to the bottom line of what happened.  You can make the violation of the detainees rights better by violating the rights of the guards to a fair and unbiased trial.

 

I am listening to Congressman Cole comment on how this should have been rushed to the Sec.'s desk so he could rush it to the President's and Congress' desk.  And what I infer from that is rush these people to justice. Right or wrong, fast or slow there is a process in criminal investigations.  Those processes exist mainly to protect the rights of the accused.  While the pictures are damning, they are not conclusive proof as to what these people did.  It could be better.  It could be worse.  What if it is worse and we rush to a judgment that is incorrect and incomplete.  What would do more harm?

 

Do the American People and more importantly the Iraqi people have the right to know what has happened in Abu Graihb.  Absolutely.  But more importantly, the people in the photos have the right to have a trial that is unbiased.  The men and women that will judge these folks are under command of the Sec. and the folks testifying today.  What they say could drastically affect the coming trial.  He should not be in front of congress until the investigations are finished and the trials can be effectively run. 

 

In truth how have the folks being abused been served by the hearings today or the media frenzy that has come from it?

 

From Mendy

 

We hear that the prisoner abuse scandal has gravely affected the mood of the Iraqi people at large. Are you seeing this, or is this sentiment just a figment of the US journalistic imagination?

 

Two or three things to that point. I would say that the Iraqi's are enraged to the same level that we all are at the actions we saw. There have been man on the street reports on Arabic TV that point to the US being hypocritical. Both the action and location of the action could not have been worse. We have been giving a lot of attention to the torture under Saddam at Abu Graihb. The protests that you have seen in the past couple of days have been small amounts of people staging there protests for media. Does that mean they are not justifiably upset, no. I feel that a lot of Iraqi people have low expectations for government and unfortunately our soldiers in this situation appear to have lived up to those expectations. Additionally they don't understand the concept that these people will be punished for their actions. Where it is going to become a major problem for us is in both the Arab media and the Western Media. It is a story that will not end for years. We have lived up to low standards that the media has for our country and they are going to continue to pounce on it. What is an honest case of letting the judicial case work appears to the media as a major cover up of a crime. Remember the media has to have everything wrapped up in a 24 hour news cycle. Arrest, Judgment and Execution.

 

Take Care Everyone!

 

Gregg Edgar

Coalition Provisional Authority

Office of Strategic Communications

We handed over the Ministry of Agriculture today.  With the exception of having to climb seven flights of stairs several times (small elevator) the event went fantastic.  I know I have hit on this several times, but the ministries really are where the rubber hits the road.  We have handed over about seven of these ministries so far and will be handing the rest over in the coming weeks.  The Agriculture Ministry, like the FDA in the US, has a huge impact on Iraqi society.  The agriculture sector employees somewhere between 20%and 30% of the workforce.

 

Below are some quick bullet points on the accomplishments of the ministry so far.

 

• Reopening of the Ministry of Agriculture’s headquarters last year and renovating and securing 118 warehouses around the country to provide vital services to farmers.

 

• Developing quick-impact activities to stimulate agricultural production that included rehabilitating agriculture colleges, procuring and distributing veterinary medicines, rehabilitating veterinary clinics and demonstrating new crop technology.

 

• Restoring the marshlands, a $4 million initiative in the south for developing a river basin, fisheries and improving the living standards of the Marsh dwellers. 

 

• Establishing date palm nurseries in 13 governorates to help restore Iraq’s once dominant position in the international date market.

 

• Increasing the Ministry of Agriculture’s budget by more than $265 million.   Under Saddam in 2002, only $3.5 million was spent on agriculture.  The 2004 estimated expenditures for the Ministry of Agriculture is $269 million. 

 

This evening we had three interviews in the studio for Adnan Pachachi, a member of the Governing Council.  Many believe that Mr. Pachachi, 80, will be the President of the Interim Government.  He is a very respected figure in the Middle East.  He really has been the glue that has held the GC together.  He was instrumental in getting the TAL signed.  A sunni, Mr Pachachi served as Iraq’s Foreign Minister from 1965 to 1967 before Saddam Hussein's Baath Party seized power. He had also served as a cabinet member under King Faysal I during the ‘50’s .  He is a very nice and genuine man.  When he left the studio this evening, he went around shook everyone’s hand thanked them for their assistance.  At the bottom of the e-mail, I have attached an interview that he gave to the Gulf News at the start of the war.  I think it gives an interesting insight into the man.

 

I attached some Iraqi timelines that I had for your information.  I also put in a very dark photo from the Ag hand over.  The little girl gave the Ambassador a bouquet of flowers.  She was the sweetest little thing.  No more than Elspeth’s age.  Gordon kept her laughing through most of the event, being a big kid himself.

 

Well that should do it for tonight.

 

Take Care Everyone!

 

Gregg Edgar

Coalition Provisional Authority

Office of Strategic Communications

It was a very frustrating and busy day today.  But alls well that ends well.  We had the handover of the Ministry of Culture today. It went very well in the end but we had frustrations with language, security, flat tires etc.  The kids that sang at the TAL performed again.  They really are some great kids.  I am trying to get Jess a recording of part of their performance for the website.  It’s funny, kids sing Do-Re-Mi from the Sound of Music all over the world, no matter what there language, faith or socio economic background.  It is a really big file so I don’t know if we will be able to do it.

 

Speaking of the website, Jess has added a message board to the website for folks to ask questions about what is going on here.  I am going to try and be online every night from 22:00 – 24:00 every night.  That would be 14:00 – 16:00 for the East Coast and 11:00 – 13:00 for AZ.

 

Our event took us out into the red zone today.  We have a new group of PSD working for us now.  They work for the same company, but this is a team from South Africa.  I find it amazing how many South Africans are in the personal security business.  The guys are little more intense than the other team, but are very good guys.

 

I was thinking that I hadn’t talked about one of the other major security forces that that’s here in Iraq, The Gurkas.  Gurkas provide the building security here at the Palace.  They are all over Iraq.  They work for Global Security. The Gurkas are originally from Gorka, which is located in the central part of Nepal. Gurkas fought for the British and Indian armies. The Gurkas are known for tremendous bravery and loyalty to their cause. The Gurkas were influential in both of the world wars. Being a Gurka soldier is prestigious career. Before these people were soldiers, they were mountain climbers even before the Sherpas. A teen the age of 17or 18 may be recruited by Gurka soldiers. Once recruited, the teen must undergo a medical exam, which often limits potential soldiers from signing up. If a teen passes the medical exam, he then goes to basic training in Hong Kong for 10 months.  These guys are supposed to be among the most fierce warriors in the world, but to look at them you would they were harmless.  The tallest one is about 5’7. They average 5’4  5’5.  There is a rumor about someone trying to sneak up on a Gurka who had fallen asleep in his chair in the cafeteria. When he touched the Gurka, the Gurka had him turned on the ground with one of their famous Gurka knives through his shoulder in seconds.  Very impressive.

 

I have attached a photo from atop the Convention Center.  You can see the El Dourra power plant off to the right.  The old Information Ministry is the pyramid looking building at center left is where Baghdad Bob held his press conferences.

 

Wel I am pretty tired tonight. I will right more tomorrow.  It will be a busy day as well.

 

Take Care Everyone!

 

Gregg Edgar

Coalition Provisional Authority

Office of Strategic Communications

A very long day today.  We had interviews starting at 6:00 am and lasting most of the day.  Eric and Christina made it back finally from Munthana.  Christina made friends with the Helicopter pilots.  With any luck we won’t get stuck again.

 

I have to end early tonight because Gordon is locked out. Busy day tomorrow so I will have lots to talk about.

 

Take Care everyone!

 

Gregg Edgar

Coalition Provisional Authority

Office of Strategic Communications

Well what a week. I wanted to start tonight’s e-mail with an update on Col. Pittard from Ba’Qubah, the Colonel who was a Mil. Aide to Pres. Clinton.  On Thursday morning he was on patrol with his men.  They were traveling down a road that is nicknamed RPG Alley (for obvious reasons), when they came under small arms fire and had an RPG fired at them.  They returned fire and got out of that situation without significant injury.  RPG Alley ties back into the main road of town and if you travel North heads to FOB Warhorse, their base.  When they got on the main road, they discovered two IED ‘s and controlled detonated them.  A third IED exploded under the Colonel’s Humvee.  His vehicle was propelled forward with no injuries, but the gunner in the turret of the Humvee trailing the Col. was not as lucky.  He took shrapnel to the face and died from his wounds.  I am not sure if I met the gunner or not, but the troops that Eric and I encountered at Camp Warhorse were top notch.  They all serve our country with such a tremendous amount of character and honor.

 

As you have all seen until you were sick, the soldiers at the Abu Ghraib are the antithesis to these troops.  These people have no idea how much they have hurt our efforts here in Iraq or in the Middle East in general.  They proved that Americans can be just as disgusting as the worst dictator and made us look the hypocrite to the world.  We have a lot of work to do here to try and reverse the deeds of this small group of people. Obviously these actions are in no way representative of the forces on the ground here in Iraq.  I ask that you all understand that this is the far exception, but there is no excuse anyone can give for these people. We can only hope that there punishment is sufficiently severe.

 

Today’s news was a lot more uplifting, with the escape of hostage Thomas Hamill.  What an incredible man.  I recommend everybody take a minute or two to read up on this guy.

 

I received an e-mail today from Jessica that I wanted to share with all of you tonight.  It is completely of the subject of Iraq, but I think that every once and a while we all have to take a moment to think about the people that we meet in our lives and this e-mail kind of sparked that for me, especially after the events with Colonel Pittard and some of the folks that we have lost here in Baghdad recently.

 

Jessica’s e-mail was about her neighbor Ken who passed away this past week.  Ken was a nice guy.  He was probably in his 70’s.  He lived with his dog Mugsy.  I believe Mugsy is a Bassett hound, a very well fed Bassett hound.  Ken regularly walked Mugsy and would always talk to you when he was out.  Jessica and I have been worried about poor Ken for some time.  He had 2 or 3 children that never came over.  Something in the past had happened and he never saw any of them because of it.  Anytime I see people Ken’s age living alone it makes me very sad.  As far as we could tell Mugsy was his only friend in the world.

 

Whenever I hear stories like this I think about my Grandmother.  I can remember shortly before my grandmother died, I didn’t have a lot of time to go hang out with her and always felt guilty about it.  She and I had a very special relationship and I loved her dearly.  My Grandmother lived with my mother in her final years.  She was always a mentally sharp woman, but was physically frail for years which limited her ability to go out and do a lot of things.  I remember one night I was backing out mom’s carport after dropping something off for my Grandma.  I had just run in to drop it off with her and had to run to something else.  Mom was out that night as well so Grandma was home alone.  As I backed away I saw her walking back in the house. She had walked out to say goodbye and I could just tell that she was lonely.  I felt lower than dirt, but for whatever reason I had to keep going.  People to see, things to do and all the excuses we all use.  There was a point in my life that you couldn’t have dragged me away from that woman.  I am not a believer in regrets, but one of the few that I have is that I didn’t park that car that night and go back inside and play a game of Yahtzee with her.  Lost opportunity!

 

Sorry for the downer tonight.  We have a busy schedule next week, so hopefully I will have more content for everyone.

 

Take Care Everyone!

 

 

Sent: Sunday, May 02, 2004 10:22 PM
To: Edgar, Gregg Mr. (CIV)
Subject: This weekend