Q Mr. Hadley, the report also says, the term “civil war” accurately describes key elements of the Iraqi conflict. Is the President ready to embrace that term, as well?
MR. HADLEY: One of the things that is helpful — and this is on page two — is a statement that the intelligence community judges that the term “civil war” does not adequately capture the complexity of the conflict in Iraq. And we think that is right.
[snip]
Q Does it mean that the President does accept that civil war accurately describes key elements — does he accept that?
MR. HADLEY: I think what the President does is he accepts the description of the key elements — that is that there’s a hardening of ethno-sectarian identities, a sea change in the character of the violence, ethno-sectarian mobilization, and population displacements. The facts are not in dispute, and they are what drove the policy. And the policy seeks to try and respond to those facts and come up with a strategy that will succeed. That’s what our task is and that’s what we’ve done.
[snip]
Q Mr. Hadley, I want to go back to the term “civil war.” The administration has really gone out of its way not to use that term, “civil war,” in the same way that Don Rumsfeld wouldn’t call it a “guerilla war” when it was, or an “insurgency” when it was. Why do you go out of your way not to use that word? The President goes out of his way, as well. You say labels are difficult, but is it not important — certainly any military strategist will tell you it’s important to know what kind of fight you’re in. Can you call it a civil war, and why haven’t you?
MR. HADLEY: We know what kind of fight we’re in. We know the facts. That is described well in this NIE, and we have a strategy to deal with those facts and to try to succeed.
Q Is it a civil war?
MR. HADLEY: I will tell you what this NIE says.
Q I want to know why you avoid using that term.
MR. HADLEY: Because it’s not an adequate description of the situation we find ourselves, as the intelligence community says. Intelligence judges “the term civil war does not adequately capture the complexities of the conflict in Iraq.” And what we’re doing is saying, if you’re going to run policy, and if you’re going to explain it to the American people, we need to get across the complexities of the situation we face in Iraq, and what is our strategy to deal with that. And simple labels don’t do that. We’re going to try and force everybody to get into the facts.
[snip]
Q Going back to the civil war, the use of that term, is it fair to say, or accurate to say that it is now beyond a civil war, because that would imply that you have the elements of a civil war and yet there is — there are additional factors?
MR. HADLEY: I think I can’t do better than the description of the facts on the ground that is in the NIE with which we agree, and that says this is a complex, difficult situation. And that’s what it is.
