“In his farewell meetings [in late June 2004], he [Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) Director L. Paul Bremer] insisted that the CPA had set Iraq on the path to a democratic government, a free-market economy, and a modern infrastructure. He ticked off the CPA’s accomplishments: nearly 2,500 schools had been repaired; 3 million children had been immunized; billions of dollars had been spent on reconstruction; 8 million new textbooks had been printed. New banknotes had replaced currency with Saddam’s visage. Local councils had been formed in every city and province. The most expansive bill of rights in the Arab world had been written into the interim constitution.” [The 25th of the month used for date sorting purposes only.]
– Rajiv Chandrasekaran, Imperial Life in the Emerald City, Pages 287-288