The risks of war, says Feith, were well known and documented in a memo from Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld that Feith refers to as “the parade of horribles” in his upcoming Harper Collins book, War and Decision. They included ruining the reputation of America overseas, strengthening Muslim militant resolve and triggering the ethnic strife occurring in Iraq now. What they didn’t anticipate? “That the Bathist regime, even after it was overthrown, would be in a position to organize and recruit for and to finance and command an insurgency,” says Feith. His book also addresses the fact that the smaller and more mobile American force conducting the attack saved U.S. lives, but was too small to control the country after the initial fighting, allowing widespread looting.
Feith acknowledges that few people are pleased about the war, but he believes it was and still is the right thing to do for America. “I think the president made the right decision given what he knew. … And to tell you the truth, even given what we’ve learned since,” he tells Kroft.
First of all, “few people are pleased about the war?” Lots of people are DEAD ABOUT THE WAR, is the more pressing problem, I would think. That I in my office with my keyboard am upset is not so much paramount in the face of all the COFFINS. Stay classy, Dougie.
Second, does he think he deserves some kind of cookie for acknowledging what everybody watching TV knew in August 2003 or thereabouts? I seem to recall his boss jollying it up with the press about how messy freedom is and whatnot, and lots of sicko math about eggs and omelettes, and ain’t nobody said nothing back then. But now that Bush and his war kind of suck, here comes Doug, acknowledging some problems with it.
Is there a gene for self-awareness that these guys were just born without?
A.