One of Washington's most prominent lawyers, sent to Iraq to help the fledgling democracy develop its legal and judicial institutions, has charged in a blistering memo to U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker that the State Department and Foreign Service have "brought to Iraq the worst of America — our bureaucrats" and become "an albatross around the neck of the Coalition command."
"The American people would be scandalized to know," Miranda continued, "that, throughout the Winter, Spring and Summer of 2007, even while our Congress debated the Iraq question and whether to commit more troops and more funds, the Embassy [in Baghdad] was largely consumed in successive internal reorganizations with contradictory management and policy goals....The fact that over 80 people sit in Washington, second-guessing and delaying the work of the Embassy, many who have been to Baghdad, is an embarrassment alone."While lamenting the absence of a central information system that could prevent redundancy in the projects the Embassy undertakes, Miranda also accused Embassy leaders of "intentionally" withholding vital information from the White House, Petraeus, key State Department officials in Washington, allied nations and relevant international organizations.
"The dysfunctional failure to communicate and share information is beyond anything that can be imagined,"Miranda wrote.
[there's a reason it's called Foggy Bottom]
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