The CPA still has a website

Did you know that the Coalition Provisional Authority still has a website? I stumbled across it while doing research for a paper. It's creepy. I felt like I was sneaking around a decrepit, boarded-up mansion where somebody had died. I was tip-toeing around a tomb, listening for ghosts, jumping every time a rotten floorboard squeaked. Every room was filled with reminders of the deceased--a half-full wineglass, a grimy bar of soap next to the sink, family photographs tacked to the fridge.

Here's one example: a December 1, 2003 press release:

SADDAM'S HEADS ROLL

Baghdad, Iraq -- With a crowd of Iraqis cheering in the background, the first of four bronze-plated Saddam Hussein heads came down today from its perch atop the Republican Palace.

"The time has come for these heads to roll," said L. Paul Bremer III, Administrator of the Coalition Provisional Authority. He added, "These statues stood as a reminder of the megalomania of the former dictator. We're sick of them.

The story is complete with vital stats like size and weight, in case you want to write a news report. Half the links on the site are broken, but you can still read about the opening of the "Liberation" school or the arrival of the Iraqi Boy Scout and Girl Scout program. You can read transcripts of Paul Wolfowitz explaining why fear is the greatest factor in Iraqi military performance, or some rousing speeches by Paul Bremer, like his December 24th, 2004 announcement of "one hundred days to a sovereign Iraqi government." He says, "In just one hundred days a sovereign Iraqi government will come into being. It will be a happy event for all Iraq and a happy day for my family." You can be inspired all over again by plucky optimism, like this March 3rd, 2004 speech in response to terror attacks: "The war against terrorism is not over, but I am certain that democracy and harmony will triumph over the evil-doers."

If you just want the cliff notes, you can read the final document in the archive: a June 28th, 2004 document titled, An Historic Review of CPA Accomplishments.