ABSTRACT
Washington, D.C.—This was supposed to be the crucial week just before the war, when American and “allied” leaders were closing in on Saddam Hussein and Iraq. First, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld dropped his customary ingratiating bantering style and admitted a very serious fact. Second, after months of deceptive blarney on the part of the administration over the cost of this war, finally some institutions began coming forth with dependable figures. Third, as this fruitful week gradually revealed its secrets, some great mysteries began to unravel, such as whatever happened to Ahmad Chalabi, the leader of the exile Iraqi National Congress that was supposed to take over Iraq? From the beginning, the war party has liked to characterize this war as a cakewalk—it would be that simple. The New Yorker magazine, which has presented some truly groundbreaking work on the lead-ups to the war, the chairman of the Defense Policy Board, Richard N. Perle.
