President Bush on Tuesday awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to three men who are, at least partly, responsible for the terrible situation the country faces in Iraq.

Former CIA Director George Tenet, Iraq administrator L. Paul Bremer and retired Gen. Tommy Franks were presented with the nation’s highest civilian award.

The three will be forever linked with the invasion and occupation of Iraq, and their fingerprints are conspicuously all over many of the failures.

Tenet described the case for Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction as a “slam dunk.” It was the threat that Saddam Hussein would transfer nuclear, biological or chemical weapons to terrorists that helped sell the country on invasion. But there were no weapons, and the threat was hyped.

Bremer is most remembered for the decision to disband the Iraqi army, which created a power vacuum insurgents have eagerly filled. After leaving the government, Bremer has been quoted as saying the United States never had sufficient troops on the ground for the occupation. But while he was on the payroll, he was woefully silent on the issue, leaving undermanned soldiers to struggle on.

Franks managed a brilliant invasion with far fewer troops – and casualties – than he expected. But Franks failed to plan for the realities of occupation.

Despite their shortcomings, it’s easy to understand why President Bush honored the three. Tenet, Bremer and Franks carried out the president’s directives on Iraq, regardless of whether they were right or wrong. For that, they get a medal.