Condi Rice admits the U.S. should have understood Iraq better.
Comment: Did the press understand Iraq? We get our news - filtered - by the press, not "Washington."
If it was so glaringly obvious about the tribal makeup of Iraq since Saddam's days, why wasn't the press reporting the mistake since Gulf War 1.
Maybe the press didn't have a clue either.
Comment: Oh, NOW Condi admits she didn't understand Iraq? Come on. It doesn't take a Ph.D. to figure out that the Republicans in the White House didn't care to understand the people or the reality of Iraq. It also doesn't take a Ph.D. to figure out that Condi's managed to con people into thinking she knows what she's doing. These are people who just didn't care and any amount of STUDY by these yahoos would have just resulted in them twisting the facts to justify their actions. Any contrition now is due to their fear of being scorned in the history books forever. In any case, it is too late for them.
Comment: Where are the rest of the comments?
Comment: I would like to post a comment.
Comment: The Bush/Rice Administration has been a disaster not just for the USA but for the whole World. The final irony will be the arrival of the Islamic Republic of Iraq within one year of the departure of the Coalition forces. The invasion (not a war, a walkover) of Iraq, the massacre of its civilians and the destruction of a country will have been for nought. Instead of allowing the Zionist neo-con lobby to dictate foreign policy in the interest solely of Israel rather than the USA - yes, Israel, fearing Iraq's Scud missile developments was the only country feeling threatened by Iraq- the Administration would have better served the national interest and the World's by concentrating on the War on Terror. The brutal Israeli oppression of the Palestinians is the root cause of most terrorism throughout the World and continues to give rise to the creation of fundamentalist Islamic groups everywhere. The first step should have been to curb the Zionists' excesses, perpetrated in order to achieve their vision of a Greater Israel, end the bloody occupation and impose a State of Palestine. Bush and Rice talk sanctimoniously of their belief in 'freedom for all peoples', oh, except for the Palestinians who they must view as sub-human to merit such contempt for their appalling plight.
Comment: What Condi won't say is that we never should have invaded Iraq to begin with. We should have sent 150,000 US troops to Afghanistan and captured or killed Bin Laden instead. Bush hired Condi because he knew she would fall into step with the rest of his neocons.
Comment: That this administration has taken billions each week for over 4 years to pursue an arrogant and possibly unlawful policy is a tragedy and has been fiscally, psychologically and morally repugnant to the majority of our nation. For Condaleezza Rice to now say she should have known more is a slap in the face for our style of governing. How did this administration get away with such a tragedy?
Comment: I don't think there would ever have been populur support to enable US to go to war with an army of 400,000 that might have been needed to produce that kind of ideal transition, especially given Saddam's overtures of using wpms. The actions of nations that cringe at casualties aren't going to remain at war too long against a nation that threw away a million of its soldiers in its war with Iran and whose despotic leader remained defiant after the entire region put him back in his place. Given all the barbarous ninny's dicing up the country from inside and out, its almost a miracle we've brought Iraq through to a place of some hope. Buts let's abandon everything NOW! There are still plenty of suicide bombers and Mahdi wannabes trying to take us out..
Comment: Comment: PaulieG. Its good to see that someone thinks the same as I do. The word I use to discribe this, "Bush Administration is, "arrigance". That covers, ignorence, Stupidity, ect. ect. Which all apply. "T.E. Lawrence, should be required reading for anyone having anything to do with arabs. He discribes our situation by," Eating soup with a knife." His seven pillars of wisdom," and, " revolt in the desert," should be on the list as well. I can't believe that our C.I.A. and F.B.I didn't know what we we're getting into, if they didn't, we have big problems. Time will tell. Being an old vet from WW II, I say, "GOD BLESS AMERICA.".........D.A.B.
Comment: Another Bush insider trying to distance herself from Bush, and trying to salvage any credibility that she may still have in the community.
Comment: Stop with the negative comments. Ms. Rice is as close to perfect as a Sec of State as any in my lifetime. Democrats only know one thing and that's how to complain. I look forward to a new administration so Democrats can see they are also imperfect. I don't hear anyone complimenting the successes of Rice.
Comment: Talking to Condoleezza Rice is a waste of time. She didn't do her job before 911 and instead went on vacatio. She has not done her job since 911. She rubber stamps everything george bush wants and offers no insight or logical analysis to what is really happening in Iraq. She is a joke.
Comment: I am sick right up to my gills with all your liberal criticism. Bill Clinton had a chance to get Bin Ladin when he was in office and he was too busy playing with all the skirts around him.
I am also sick of hearing that there were no "weapons of mass destruction" in Iraq - weren't you paying attention when Sadam Hussein used them against his own people? I remember seeing in Life magazine the women and children and old people laying dead in the streets after being gassed by him. He also used it against Iran.
You people are all full of criticism but your Democrat leaders did no better! It was a democrat that got us into WWII and a democrat that got us into Vietnam.
I suppose you would rather be fighting them in our own streets which is where the fighting would be if the terrorist were not so preoccupied in Iraq.
You all make me sick!!!!!!!
Comment: I'm so tired of people reporting only the mistakes Bush has made. Let us also count his successes which are to numerous to mention. We are fighting a war and will suffer losses and make mistakes. Was World War II fought without mistakes and losses? Americans who have nothing to offer but criticism to offer will not ever be satisfied until Bush is gone. Let us see how our next president fights a war with no casualties.
Comment: what i can't understand is how so many young men could VOLUNTEER for this insanity!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! they are the ones obeying immoral commands from an immoral, vapid, and disgraceful commander in chief...why don't they refuse ????????????? no soldiers, no war. have a conscience. refuse to participate.
Comment: what i can't understand is how so many young men could VOLUNTEER for this insanity!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! they are the ones obeying immoral commands from an immoral, vapid, and disgraceful commander in chief...why don't they refuse ????????????? no soldiers, no war. have a conscience. refuse to participate.
Comment: I'm so tired of people counting only the mistakes and not the successes. Bush has made mistakes, he has also had too many successes to count. Let us bring the positives to light. We are fighting a war and we will suffer losses. Have we forgotten World War II, what would the news have looked like back then had we had the same negative reporting.
Comment: I find it extremely disconcerting that the leaders of our government apparently did not understand the culture of Irag prior to our invasion o their land. History would make obvious the importance of the tribal culture and conflict in the area. I am appalled that people who are supposed to be guiding the U.S. in world affairs, relationships, and conflict show such a lack of prior knowledge of the world and a lack of willingness to learn about it prior to taking action that impacts our own soldiers adn the lives of men, women, and children in Irag and other neighboring countries. I don't know which is more abhorrent....the lack of knowledge or the blindsightedness in insisting that "Mission Accomplished" was true. It seems a bit late in the process to be just now uinderstanding the importance of the culture.
Comment: It's no wonder Newsweek has had to cut its circulation by 500,000 (16%) and has lost revenue (18 %), on a 13 percent decline in advertising. If the posters here are any indication, the majority of Newsweek's shrinking readership is Democrats??? ill with Bush Derangement Syndrome. No wonder why Newsweek is losing readers, it panders to you guys (and gals). How you do love to spout off in your little elite echo chambers.
Spew what poison you will at this administration, but you cannot argue the fact that the United States homeland has not suffered another attack. No matter what way you slice it, this is no small feat and historians will recognize it even as you will not.
As for Iraq - What if Iraq succeeds?? What if rather than descending into sectarian civil war, the Iraq people of all sects manage to come together to form a prosperous Muslim nation, if not democratic, at least unsympathetic to terrorist? All of the mistakes of this administration will not matter one whit. What will matter is that the man you love to hate George W, will have served his country very well indeed.
Comment: It's no wonder Newsweek has had to cut its circulation by 500,000 (16%) and has lost revenue (18 %), on a 13 percent decline in advertising. If the posters here are any indication, the majority of Newsweek's shrinking readership is Democrats??? ill with Bush Derangement Syndrome. No wonder why Newsweek is losing readers, it panders to you guys (and gals). How you do love to spout off in your little elite echo chambers.
Spew what poison you will at this administration, but you cannot argue the fact that the United States homeland has not suffered another attack. No matter what way you slice it, this is no small feat and historians will recognize it even as you will not.
As for Iraq - What if Iraq succeeds?? What if rather than descending into sectarian civil war, the Iraq people of all sects manage to come together to form a prosperous Muslim nation, if not democratic, at least unsympathetic to terrorist? All of the mistakes of this administration will not matter one whit. What will matter is that the man you love to hate George W, will have served his country very well indeed.
Comment: It's nice to see Ms. Rice admit to a mistake. Now if she would only admit that it was a mistake to ignore the bi-partisan Hart-Rudman report that warned of the 9/11 attack, perhaps she might have some credibility. But since she continues to refer to that report as "an historical document" I'd say whoever was in charge of National Security on 9/11 failed miserably.
Comment: The amount of mistakes this administration has made in Iraq are too numerous to count but just a few, invading, quick war, weapon of mass destruction, not surcuring Iraq weapons, not enough troops, poor understanding of the internal politics of Iraq, unwillingness to listen to view outside themselves, and believing they could take one of the world oldest culture and make it into little America.
Comment: "Incompetent" applies to some of this administration's decisions, not to others. When Bush was still running in 2000, as Governor of Texas, he told the ghost writer of his autobiography that both Reagan and Bush I had achieved quick and easy military victories (Grenada and the Gulf War) that boosted their popularity, which he called "political capital", but had then failed to use that capital to ram through their domestic agendas. Iraq, a military shell, was to be Bush's quick and easy road to political capital, which he would spend to establish a kind of Stalinism in reverse, a redistribution of wealth from the poor and middle class to the ultra-wealthy. Iraq did not turn out to be his quick and easy victory, but with the springboard provided by 9/11 ( an answered prayer if there ever was one) he did manage to make a substantial dent in the traditional internal flow of wealth and in civil rights. It will take a generation at least to recover from the damage.
Comment: "Incompetent" applies to some of this administration's decisions, not to others. When Bush was still running in 2000, as Governor of Texas, he told the ghost writer of his autobiography that both Reagan and Bush I had achieved quick and easy military victories (Grenada and the Gulf War) that boosted their popularity, which he called "political capital", but had then failed to use that capital to ram through their domestic agendas. Iraq, a military shell, was to be Bush's quick and easy road to political capital, which he would spend to establish a kind of Stalinism in reverse, a redistribution of wealth from the poor and middle class to the ultra-wealthy. Iraq did not turn out to be his quick and easy victory, but with the springboard provided by 9/11 ( an answered prayer if there ever was one) he did manage to make a substantial dent in the traditional internal flow of wealth and in civil rights. It will take a generation at least to recover from the damage.
Comment: Thank you Dogssoldier. At the risk of Mr. Limbaugh labeling you a "phony soldier" you have spoken the ugly truth. Incompetent dosen't even began to describe the Bush Administration.
Comment: The real truth of the matter is that all this talk about "incompetence" is what will get us into further trouble. This White House and it's staffing are anything but incompetent, they are shrewd coldly calculating plotters with an agenda that goes back decades. They found a social, personable slightly arrogant dim bulb who had the pedigree they needed as a front man and then backed him with a mercenary political hatchett -man and surrounded the duo with reasonable sounding easily lead operatives that would make the american public beleive the lies they spun. Sayw what you will about the results, they got exactly what they wanted- war in an oil rich country which provided them the slight of hand distraction to pass off money to the top 1% of the country while the middle class and the programs for impoverished americansd was destroyed. They are not incompetent, they are treasonously self promoting and careless of true threats to this country as long as they get what they want
Comment: Those who would argue that water boarding (aka torture) is justified because the enemies we face would do the same to us are morally bankrupt. The United States (prior to the Bush Administration) was held to the highest moral standards and code of conduct ever on earth. We held a light to the world, a light of freedom, the promise of democracy, the promise of justice; all based on adhering to a very highest of moral and ethical standards. We believed in the Geneva Convention. We did not condone torture. We lead the world. We now face those of us who would abandon those high standards, who say ???so what, use torture, use what ever means it takes to arrive at the desired ends???, and in doing so defeat their very own muddled goals. The Bush Administration has destroyed the moral authority and credibility of the United States and done deep and lasting damage to the very foundation of American values and to all Americans. If you are not outraged by the conduct of the Bush Administration, you are brain dead. This travesty of governance must be stopped, if not by Congress then by the People of the United States of America through their voices, peaceful demonstration, and expression of their will at the ballot box. Do not allow the destruction of the very essence of what it is to be American to be further degraded by the Bush Administration.
Comment: I led a CA team assigned to the 1st squadron of the 2nd Cav in eastern Baghdad that was doing these very things that were so "new" to secretary Rice from March 2003 to March 2004. Our problem was not one of a lack of knowledge. it was a lack of funding, commitment from the CPA and the U. S. Dept of Defense. I don't know if we had had the support we asked for if this disater could ahve been averted, but not having it ensured our ultimate failure. It was unnecessary and do to this adminstration's pigheadedness and incompetence, not a lack of knowledge or understanding
Comment: Little tip...Not a wise move to vote for Guiliani, Thompson, or HIllary at present..all seem to espouse the same ridiculous plight the Bush administration has put us in. Call them Bush light. You want outta Iraq, don't vote for them. You want outta Iraq, there are many other choices on both sides of the aisle..I lean towards Edwards at the moment..but if I thought that Biden or Kucinich had a snowballs chance in hell of winning the election, I'd be voting for them..UFO or no UFO.
Comment: The Iraqis that are "going home" are in fact refugee's that are no longer being welcomed into Saudi Arabia and other middle eastern countries. The outflow of refugees has become an incredible humanitarian problem in the countries bordering Iraq, and most of those countries are now turning them around and sendign them back..For the claims that Iraq is now safer than ever is just plain ridiculous. This year has been the bloodiest fo the US soldier to date, as well as for the Iraqi civilians. The Faux news report that the Iraqi's are returning fails to mention that its not of their own free will, they are actually being deported back to iraq.
Comment: Ms. Rice is just a propaganda mouthpiece for this evil administration. The question remains: Why does anyone listen to her?
Comment: All one has to do, is see who the donors are to those currently in office...this will tell you right away, who wanted the war..and why...easily enough solved..if you take the time to go and find these things out. Bush was non-to bright to begin with, and then surrounded himself with many that were even less enlightened..Only the neo cons could diss people with education for offering solutions and advice, which they continously ignored. makes me sick that people still aactually support them. It also shows quite clearly, how many americans really know what the hell is goin on in the world today..and what history has to say about it. Bush? god down in history as a good president??? very very doubtful..right now..worst administration ever..bar none.
Comment: An abundance of information existed prior to the Iraq invasion that it would be disastrous. The neo-cons and their allies were bound and determined to disregard massive information mitigating against this venture.
Meglomaniacs throughout human history cause misery. It is in their mentalities. Grandiose schemes and sheer stupidity catapults them into unconscionable destruction. Intelligent beings, including mental health profilers, must speak up before lunatics come to power. It is invariably too late to stop their lunacies once they engage deception machines and trumpet the call to arms. We can end our complacency and pay attention or end society as we know it.
Comment: An abundance of information existed prior to the Iraq invasion that it would be disastrous. The neo-cons and their allies were bound and determined to disregard massive information mitigating against this venture.
Meglomaniacs throughout human history cause misery. It is in their mentalities. Grandiose schemes and sheer stupidity catapults them into unconscionable destruction. Intelligent beings, including mental health profilers, must speak up before lunatics come to power. It is invariably too late to stop their lunacies once they engage deception machines and trumpet the call to arms. We can end our complacency and pay attention or end society as we know it.
Comment: No, notaknowitall, it's that Bush and Co. gave the American people the IMPRESSION that things were going to be all neat and tidy. They have since the beginning of this fiasco with all this nonsense talk of being greeted as liberators, "sweets and flowers," and the unforgettable "Mission Accomplished." That's not a "mis-calculation" as you put it. That's outright misdirection and incompetence, something that history will always hallmark as trademarks of the Bush administration. This entire war was an ill-conceived plot to go into that nation under false pretenses, use our honorable and well-intentioned troops as tools because they had the courage to go forth as ordered, and use companies like Halliburton, KBR, and Blackwater to plunder Iraq's resources, while using weapons of mass destruction as a centerpiece to create a foundation for their lies. Those who spoke against them were branded as unpatriotic and even traitors, but now that things have begun to come to light, Condoleeza Rice wants to act like a light bulb just went on in the collective head of the Administration. Kinda like her OTHER blatant lie that she told in front of the American media when she insisted that "no one could have known that Al-Qaeda intended to fly planes into buildings." Yeah, right. At least Nixon had the courage to resign.
Comment: No, notaknowitall, it's that Bush and Co. gave the American people the IMPRESSION that things were going to be all neat and tidy. They have since the beginning of this fiasco with all this nonsense talk of being greeted as liberators, "sweets and flowers," and the unforgettable "Mission Accomplished." That's not a "mis-calculation" as you put it. That's outright misdirection and incompetence, something that history will always hallmark as trademarks of the Bush administration. This entire war was an ill-conceived plot to go into that nation under false pretenses, use our honorable and well-intentioned troops as tools because they had the courage to go forth as ordered, and use companies like Halliburton, KBR, and Blackwater to plunder Iraq's resources, while using weapons of mass destruction as a centerpiece to create a foundation for their lies. Those who spoke against them were branded as unpatriotic and even traitors, but now that things have begun to come to light, Condoleeza Rice wants to act like a light bulb just went on in the collective head of the Administration. Kinda like her OTHER blatant lie that she told in front of the American media when she insisted that "no one could have known that Al-Qaeda intended to fly planes into buildings." Yeah, right. At least Nixon had the courage to resign.
Comment: It is intresting to note that while the media is beating up on Bill Clinton for taking the blame for the Heathcare fiasco of the 1990's that they like to lay on Hilary they are still giving free passes to Bush, Rice et.al. who refuse to accept blame for anything. I will take all of the mistakes of the Clinton years if Bush can give us back one lost american life from his fiasco.
Comment: Ms. Rice as well as Colin Powell have both ascribed to the Bush-Cheney mantra war war and more war. So why are we now going to yet another war with Iran? when we haven't completed the first two wars. Does it take a rocket scientist to figure it out? I don't think so. This is what happens when you go to war to finish the senior bush's foray into Iraq. Cheney knew Iraq was a quagmire, he said so a long long time ago, in a far far galaxy. Neocons all have led us down this long and twisted path to destruction.
Comment: The blood of millions of innocent Iraqis is on her hands as is the blood of thousands of dead and wounded Americans! Rice should be tried for war crimes in front of the Hague as should Rummy, Cheney, Bush, Ashcroft and Powell!
SHAME ON THOSE WHO STOOD BY AND DID NOTHING TO SPEAK OUT AGAINST THIS MADNESS! OUT OF IRAQ! OUT OF KOREA! STOP NATIONBUILDING! STOP THE LIES! END THE WAR!
Comment: It is intresing to note on a day when the media is beating up on Bill Clinton for accepting the blame for the medical program fiasco of 1992 that everyone wants to put on Hilary Clinton's shouders, Condie, George and Cheeny et.al still refuse to accept any responsibility for their mistakes. Where is the outrage.
Comment: what did those Americans that voted for Bush expect..he was a C student, hell, his geography is terrible..and forget about history. If anything, I'm hopeful this teaches those Americans that didn't do their homework, and are so easily led astray by easily checkable falsehoods (swiftboating) to do their homework before they vote. I for one would like people to take a test before they are allowed to vote. Too many go to the polls thinking about the guy htye' like to have a beer with, instead of the guy that can actually do the job!
Comment: The blood of innocent Iraqis and Americans is on her hands! In addition to violating the Geneva Convention and the continued use of Rendition and torture Rice should be hauled up in front of the Hague for war crimes as should Bush, Cheney, Rummy, Ashcroft and Powell for their hand or the complicity in these acts.
They do not represent the values of being an American and SHAME ON THOSE THAT STOOD BY WITHOUT SPEAKING OUT AND AGAINST THESE PEOPLE!
Comment: Condi would like to know who gave the advice to go through the local, provincial and tribal rulers? None other that TE Lawrence (of Arabia) long before she was born. He knew that the potentially warring factions forced together politically could never peacefully co-exist. That is why he urged the British (then) Empire that they should withdraw. Her assertion thatr Arab states are very centralized cheerfully ignores the reality that that is true only under a dictator with the support of at least one major power. 2 prime examples of this are our present support of Pervez Musharraf and our past support of Saddam Hussein. We propped up for 18 years a tyrant representing a minority faction of the Iraqi people. Now we wish to impose democracy and we cannot foresee backlash by the long-repressed majority against their erstwhile tormentors? Dr. Rice, please shred your PhD. It is not worth the paper it is printed on.
Comment: there are many smart people on this blog, unfortunately your not one of them Notaknowitall. If you were, you would have realized by now, as so many other americans have, that the administration botched Iraq from the get go. They've continually done incredibly short sighted and stupid things, over and over again. They've also lied to cover up their shortcomings. The war was a mistake from the start, anyone that knows history even a little bit could've seen this coming from a mile off.
Comment: First I have heard about Iraqis moving home. How come we have to take 12,000 of them?
Comment: I would like to see statistics on Iraqis moving back to Iraq from Syria. First I have heard of this.
Comment: Even in a puff ball interview, Rice shows her disdain for fact and her ignornace of history. When told that some advised at the outset 'that mideast scholars had long advised that controlling Iraq would require winning over local, provincial and tribal authorities,' her breezy assesment was 'I'd like to go back and see who gave that (advice)...Arab countries can be very centralized.'
Well the person who gave that advice was none other than TE Lawrence (of Arabia), who knew that the post war creation of Iraq had thrust together potentially warring factions, and who had no confidence that the British Empire could control events there-and advised their withdrawal. Arab countries can be centralized behind dictators who are supported by major powers. How much responsibility do we as a nation bear for propping up Saddam Hussein just because he was the sworn enemy of our then-and-now enemy Iran? It doesn't take a political science professor to see that the Sunni minority which ruled Iraq through the Hussein years would bear the brunt of a backlash from the Shia majority if a representative democracy was put into power. In fact, any idiot could have predicted that, with the notable exception of our President, Vice President and Secretary of State.
And she blows right past that with rosy pictures of things now. Almost 4000 American soldiers dead, hundreds of thousands wounded. Millions of Iraqis dead, and the upper and middle classes have fled the country.
Water and power are not commodities anyone in Iraq can take for granted. Soldiers are sent for third and fourth tours. I ask: What good has come of this, now that we have spent more time at war in Iraq than we spent defeating the Germans and the Japanese in World War II?
Comment: Things going badly in Iraq - we must stay. Things going well in Iraq - we must stay. Oil in Iraq - we will stay.
Comment: Things going badly in Iraq - we must stay to. Things going well in Iraq - we must stay. As long as there is oil in Iraq - we must stay.
Comment: This administration is an absolute joke. Unfortunately no one is laughing because it is not humorous. Bush/Cheney Company have made an absolute mockery of everything that our country stands for and has stood for since 1776! I, for one, do not understand where is our sense of outrage over the incompetence, the lies, the scandals? This will go down, if it already isn't, the most incompetent, inept and scandalous administration in our history. God help us all....
Jamie
Comment: So many smart people on this blog...nothing to do but quarterback on Monday morning after the game on Sunday night. That way they know what everyone on the team should have done, but didn't. I think Bush made some mis-calculations, but who hasn't during a war. That's the problem with this generation...we haven't won a war since WWII, because we don't have the stomach to see it to the end. We expect it to be over in 30 minutes to an hour like a TV show because well truthfully that's our attention span limit.
with a
Comment: What the heck are you talkin' 'bout boy??!! Everyone with even a minimal knowledge of the middle east knows this has been a tribal society for millenia. Why should anyone have beleived that the people would welcome us with open arms when they have never done that to foreigners? You study history before you go to war, when you start one you provide all the necessary equipment and protection (not make excuses like Rummy that you go to war with the equipment you have, ie, unarmored Humvees), you have a plan to fill the void when Saddam is gone, you don't remove all security, and you don't do it with ideologues, you run it with professionals, of whihc none of the Axis of Stupidity (Dubya, Rummy and Chaney qualifies).
Comment: Are you kidding me???? We haven't won a war since ww2 because none of the wars we entered into needed to be fought..the American public knew this..give me the reasons why any of the past "wars" we entered into were necessary at all? just one good reason. I'll give you millions of reasons why we didn't need to do a damn thing. We should be concentrating on our own country..the world can, and will police itself. For those of you that think the world cant' survive with out american intervention..wake up..your idiots.
Comment: Dude, please, if you voted for em..fine..you didn't do your homework, but don't cover your error with something like that statement..its...disingenuous to those of us that did our homework. For God's sake, turn off Faux News, and join the rest of us in reality. The administration got in way over its head, dragging us, and our loved ones with them. If anyone can truly say at this point, that it was a good idea to invade Iraq...welll, stop drinking the kool-aid
Comment: Rice has a PhD but does not realise that "centralize" control in Arab countries is due to dictators. There was no way to pull that off in Iraq without another Saddam. And to think that she still does not see (or at least want to really admit) that Iraq fracturing on ethnic and religious line was self evident.
I think the White House exist in a parallel universe - they cannot possibly be existing in the same planet as the rest of us - talk about bubble thinking.
I am pretty sure they will be totally surprised by the falling dollar as well.
Comment: The Bush lackeys are no different than Bush himself when asked during an interview before the 2004 eloction what he might have done wrong in Iraq: There may be something but I can't think of it now. They never stray from the talking points.
Comment: The Cold War, as far as I know, was the first adversarial event ov it's kind'. The type of thing we face in Iraq goes back thousands of years: tribes, city states, mini-kingdoms and fiefdoms. We have repeated the experience of a numbe of powers, including the Ottomans and Brits most recently., in Iraq. It was never truly a country except by force. Even the Persians tried for a while. That's when Iran, known as as Persia, was a great power. As a religious studies major, I had toknow the bare minimum of "Iraqi" history, though Islam was not my focus.. Ah , the advantages of of a Liberal educuction!
Comment: I think the day of reckoning is coming too fast and becoming a haunting legacy for all those who served in this administration. Some jumped ship early, others did not; hoping for a miracle out of the mess to leave behind.I am hoping some good may come out, but Rice has the best capion "If I Had to Do it Over Again" and that explains the lasting legacy.
Comment: The big question is why did Bush even consider Condi Rice for positions as National Security Advisor and Secretary of State? She had no experience for either position and has proved to be neither a leader nor a diplomat. Like Bush and Cheney, she has never ventured outside the Green Zone in Iraq, yet she can't understand why State Department professionals are adament at serving outside the central fortress. But I guess it is only fitting for the worst president in American history to put mediocre people in top positions.
P.S. Her Russian Language 101 skills are on a par with Bush's Spanish. Muy Malo,
Comment: It is amazing that Rice never admits to the invasion of Iraq as a mistake!!! Imagine how far we would be in Afghanistan had we applied those resources used in Iraq there. I don't know how anyone in the Bush administration sleeps at night.
Comment: Never in the article does she say the Bush administration made a mistake in invading Iraq. So I suppose to her that was still not a mistake. She still has the blinders on. Imagine how far we would be in Afganistan if we had not entered Iraq!!! Now that war is not going well either.
Comment: We would be welcome as liberators, the war would pay for itself with the oil money, we will be out of Iraq in a year or two at most. All this nonsense because we have a President and administration who are ignorant of history, and ignorant of how to govern that part of the world. Rice now admits minor mistakes, because to not admit any would show her to be completely out of touch. The reality is that if this bunch had it to do again, they wouldnt do anything different. They dont care about the trilliions spent on the war, and they dont care about the soldires who have died. To uses Bush's word, they care about the "crusade".
Comment: I blame her parents.
Comment: THE MOST ARROGANT, DECEITFUL, FRADULENT ADMINISTRATION IN US HISTORY! TO HELL WITH EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM!
Comment: i HEARD ON THE NEWS LAST NIGHT THAT THE USE BORROWS HUNDRES OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS A YEAR FROM OTHER CONTRIES AND IN TURN, JUST TO GIVE ONE EXAMPLE, WE HAVE LOADNED OUT TO PAKISTAN SOME 1.2 BILLION A MONTHS SINCE 9/11? CAN ANYONE EXPLAIN THE LOGIC IN THIS? JUST ONE FURTHER EXPLE OF THE LUNACY WHICH HAS TAKEN PLACE IN THE LAST 7 YEARS !
Comment: TOO LATE YOU LYING, CHEATING BIT*H!! ROT IN HELL WITH BUSH, CHENEY AND THE OTHERS!
Comment: Rice failed to mention the biggest mistake they made was failing to tell the truth on the progress of the war.I was watching and reading the news every day and it was always different from what Bush was saying Bush seemed to have a magic paint Brush painting a brighter picture than the one the camera took.Since then I have no faith in anything Bush says. Dom Dunedin Fl.
Comment: TOO LATE YOU LYING, CHEATING BIT*H!!
Comment: Condi Rice has and is taking the bulk of the critcism on anything that has gone wrong in Iraq, but she does not receive any credit for anything that has gone right. It is very convenient to make her the focal point for all the criticism and serves two purposes: First, it is a way to get at Bush. But second and more importantly, it is a way to discredit Rice and make sure she is not on the 2008 ticket, because that would really hurt Hillary.
Comment: Please, feel free to enlighten us all on what exactly, if anything, she has done right. She has proven herself to be an incompetent (in keeping with the remainder of the bush admin). The only possible threat she could pose to Hillary is that all americans would assume that female leaders would be as incompetent as Condi is - that's the only conceivable threat.
Comment: Rice is an idiot follower of the neo-Cons that have no interest in understanding the past. They have a vision of the future and it doesn't matter to them what the cost is to the average American consumer sucking up the half trillion dollar cost of the war or the dead and mamed soliders: it's all collateral damage to them...... This country needs to stop screwing the people of other nations all to ensure Wealth and Power still has access to their markets for exploitation. We've been doing it for decades and Americans need to understand we have become the big bully on the block: well, bully's get their due sooner or later....
Comment: Unbelievable! So just a little mistake in not doing their homework regarding Iraq huh? Bush, Cheney, Rice and the rest of their neo-conservative miscreants have earned their place in history, simply be being part of the "worst" administartion in history. The American people can never let something like this disastrous mistake happen again! It will take decades to try and correct the disastrous mistake they have wrought upon America and the rest of the free world.
Jamie
Comment: Bull Crap??? that is the kind of thing you do BEFORE you sacrifice 4,000 young soldiers and one million Iraqi citizens. Condi Rice, George Bush and Dick Cheney WILL rot in Hell for what they have done to that nation and ours???
Comment: Use that money to improve our nation. I hope Bush gets his vetos showd really deep UP his... He's a moron with the IQ of a carrot. Dunking billions in Iraq when that money is needed here. Screw that country, those are people that have been hating each other and hating the US since they were born, several generations over. Right now, Bush should get impeached for intentionally lying to The People and plunging the Nation into a conflict that yields bills and more bills.
Comment: The young people who died in Iraq didn't get a chance to learn over time. How could she still be so self-righteous and confident when admiting mistakes that caused people's lives. That is not confidence any more, that is arrogance and cold-heartedness.
Comment: I wonder if she goes to sleep at night and dream about the 20 year old young man who died in the war, partly because of their failure to fully understand a country before sending young people there to fight. She should be more careful, reflective, and not so confident because what she does and said literally affects people's life. It really offends me to hear her say that these things take time to learn. There is no second chance to the dead people, there shouldn't one for the decision maker too.
Comment: I'd really like to know what she thinks about before she falls alseep at night. Interesting how seemingly quickly she gives up "one" thing they would've done better in Iraq. There's alot more behind the "one". To me that comment reflects the point of the article, that they never really thought about how to conduct these relations within Iraq. The way she states it I read as she's still not sure she knows the meaning of what she's saying. It sounds like a teacher asking a student how ready for the test are you and the student replies with a well constructed answer of how important the test is, given the context of the relative weight of the score as compared to the final grade for the class, without telling the teacher they haven't studied for it yet.
Comment: Unbelievable...and a sad commentary on an administration of "learning on the job" appointments. From FEMA heads with absolutely no background in emergency management to a Secretary of State that was ignorant of documented, factual history.
Had Ms. Rice read the article "Iraq's Unruly Century" (http://www.smithsonianmag.com/people-places/unruly.html) in the Smithsonian Magazine, she might gleaned enough wisdom to have saved us billions of dollars and thousands of lives. Although the article was published in May, 2003, it still provided insight into the obstacles faced by the U.S. in Iraq. It would have been even better had she exhibited a level of concern and sought such information prior to the start of the war in March, 2003.
Unfortunately, while we readily acknowledge that we want intelligent, educated, experienced and wise people to be our doctors, financial advisors, airline pilots and so forth, we fail to recognize or appreciate how vital those attributes are in the world of politics. Electing an ???average??? (read: ???C student???) President without those qualities guarantees that the appointments will be equally ???average??? and I have no doubt that the historical assessment of this administration, both politically and fiscally, will be an ???F???.
Comment: Unbelievable...and a sad commentary on an administration of "learning on the job" appointments. From FEMA heads with absolutely no background in emergency management to a Secretary of State that was ignorant of documented, factual history.
Had Ms. Rice read the article "Iraq's Unruly Century" (http://www.smithsonianmag.com/people-places/unruly.html) in the Smithsonian Magazine, she might gleaned enough wisdom to have saved us billions of dollars and thousands of lives. Although the article was published in May, 2003, it still provided insight into the obstacles faced by the U.S. in Iraq. It would have been even better had she exhibited a level of concern and sought such information prior to the start of the war in March, 2003.
Unfortunately, while we readily acknowledge that we want intelligent, educated, experienced and wise people to be our doctors, financial advisors, airline pilots and so forth, we fail to recognize or appreciate how vital those attributes are in the world of politics. Electing an ???average??? (read: ???C student???) President without those qualities guarantees that the appointments will be equally ???average??? and I have no doubt that the historical assessment of this administration, both politically and fiscally, will be an ???F???.
Comment: Rice has forgotten the ugly past of being black in America. She is now doing it to people of Iraq by imposing American standard onto another cultural group that is totaling different from both the White and Black Americans.
She is now the BULLY and not the victim, in her rightful state of mind.
She is now the BULLY and not the victim, in her rightful state of mind.
She is now the BULLY and not the victim, in her rightful state of mind.
e victim, in her rightful state of mind.
She is now the BULLY and not the victim, in her rightful state of mind.
She is now the BULLY and not the victim, in her rightful state of mind.
Comment: This whole war was concocted by neo-con wackos. Ups that is redundant.
Comment: Rice has forgotten the ugly past of being black in America. She is now doing it to people of Iraq by imposing American standard onto another cultural group that is totaling different from both the White and Black Americans.
Comment: If ms. rice had it to do all over again , she would 'nt be able to do it any differently than before, the myth of government officials working on behalf of the nation that put them in office, has become a stench that reaches the lower heavens. The bankers, the Oil industry and whatever other profit driven greed crazed monopoly, are the ones dictating national policy and giving marching orders to these supposedly elected officials and there appointee's. Communism, racism, even immigration pale in significance when it comes to the damage done to the concept of capitalism compared to the greed , of the souless big money entities, that have demanded the blood of americans and iraqis to increase a profit margin and secure there strangle hold on the world.
Comment: Many people should take a step back from the current state of uncertainty and consider the possibility that, in the long-term, this may be judged by history much more kindly than most of us like to judge it in present. Take, for example, Harry Truman. How does history judge Truman? Pretty well, I would say. How was he judged by the American people in the waning days of his presidency? About as well as George W. Bush is judged today. The same can be said of Lincoln. It is easy to judge from our arm chairs with the full benefits of 20/20 hindsight. It is not so easy to be in the positions to have to make these kinds of decisions and solve these kinds of problems. Too many of us evaluate the situation in Iraq in a vacuum, as if there were no past and no potential future state to evaluate the present against.
Comment: It's already perfectly clear that if any good does somehow come out of this Iraq mess, it'll happen IN SPITE OF Bush/Cheney. We don't need future historians to tell us that. If anything, they'll be judged more harshly in the future because by then the true nature of this debacle, and the insane ideologies and greed behind it, will be known and understood. The veil will be lifted and the secrets they've been trying so hard to keepwill be known
Comment: Well, Truman's Korean war cost us 59,000 dead and imposed one brutal dictatorship after another on our puppet state. Lincoln rates as the worst war president ever, appointing one buffoon after another to lead the long suffering Army of the Potomac. Perhaps President bush does belong in their company.
ELMIRA
Comment: The book, Te Art of War,, writtwen by a Chinaman in the 14th century should be required mreading of all State Ddpt. employeea. His book documents all te misdtakedmter U,S. made in Iraq. Thje first would be disbandingthe Iraq Army.
Comment: the art of war was written over a thousand years before the 14th century man!
Comment: Actually it was the 6th Century by Sun Tzu
Comment: WELCOMED AS LIBERATORS. Maybe it's a Cheney-ism, but all who were in the room share responsibility for this and other disastrous bits of groupthink. Rice frankly should have known better, and she and Powell should have challenged some of the unquestioned assumptions. Of course any dissent wasn't welcome and they had to know that, but that won't spare them from a harsh historical judgment. Powell is already realizing it. Bush also realizes it in a similar way to LBJ not wanting to be the first president to lose a war, so he keeps doubling down. Americans die so the security situation can improve, but without a political settlement it'll be a long and unwelcome occupation. And the things getting in the way of a political settlement weren't even talked about four years ago when everything was framed as us-versus-the-terrorists. Indeed, Rice and others have not only been behind the curve and very late to admit basic mistakes, but there's also been a pattern of intelligence reports and other expert opinion surfacing that anticipated many of the problems. Clearly Rice and Bush either didn't read the reports, or ignored anything that conflicted with their own entrenched, ideological views. The result has been a quagmire that has hurt the U.S. standing in the world, saddled future generations with debt and may well be the key turning point if this is the Chinese Century.
Comment: It is too bad that one of the valued "W" team members is now a "Monday morning quaterback" 5 years and several trillion dollars late!
Comment: Comment: It is too bad that one of the team is a Monday morning quaterback 5 years and several trillion dollars late!
Mike
Comment: Say, ExpatAmerican, it is only NOW obvious to you that the US needs oil? You probably shouldn't be posting comments about anything.
Comment: BAGHDAD=BABYLON=CONFUSION. ALWAYS HAS, ALWAYS WILL.
Comment: The reason there's war in Iraq doesn't have a single thing to do with WMD's, terrorists, liberating the Iraqi people or any other such ruse. It has everything to do with the Luciferian Mystery Religion. This is NOT the first time the people of the world have become confounded in Baghdad (Babylon).
Comment: The problem I am looking at here is repetitious; it is that those who disagree condemn others with whom they disagree, have little insight into the problem as a whole and display their own ignorance through their hatred and bigotry (defined as a prejudiced (an attitude that is unusually resistant to rational influence) person who is intolerant of opinions, lifestyles, or identities that differ from his or her own). In hindsight, all have 20/20 vision. The problem is that our government is made up of many opinions. Decisions are made based upon the majority belief. Obviously, when someone is wrong it is easy to accuse someone of deliberately lying to them. It is so much easier than taking responsibility for the diligence they should have taken in making the decision in the first place (Democrats come to mind). Everyone is so hung up on someone saying they made a mistake that the focus on solutions has been exchanged for a focus on blame. I understand that for many, the killing of 3,000 Americans and the attempted destruction of our financial system is no big deal, and in fact, they say we deserved it. Well, my suggestion is to move to the land of your friends, because you obviously believe America is certainly your enemy. Ms. Rice is being as direct as she can be, but no matter how direct she is, for many it will never be enough. Fools have a multitude of opinions and are eternally clamoring to be heard??? yes, even above the voice of reason, for to them, reason is a lie. Instead of trashing and hating all with whom you disagree, try finding a solution to the problem instead of blame. As for me, I will firmly believe that you will have what you deserve when you have given everyone their way and find yourself mired in socialism and wondering where your freedom went. That is the price of your failed insight.
brdbndt
Comment: Brad: you Conservatives have become quite good at reducing everything to "opinion," in an effort to minimize the effect of facts that work against you, in the same way that whenever the truth is told about Republican failures and scandal, you try to deflect attention by declaring "liberal bias" in the media . The facts of what has been done to this country look very bad for Republicans and people are catching on and getting angry. I suggest that it's the people who are trying to change our basic American rights and values be the ones to leave and start their own country if they don't like the country this has been for 230 years..
Comment: Pop,
A small correction here. I am reducing everything to behavior, based upon peoples opinions and beliefs. Whenever the truth is told about republican scandals I become dissatisfied with the behavior and values of the individual involved, not the party. I do not blame the problem on the obvious (and self proclaimed by the Times) liberal bias in the media, I blame the problem on corrupted values and behavior. You are right of course, the Liberal bias is trying to change our American rights and values and make us more like Europe and the UK. If we wanted to be like them, we would have never left. If you have read the posts here, they are mostly hatred and bigotry spewing forth from malcontents. What ever happened to all the Liberals who were so angry they were going o move to Canada after Pres Bush was elected. Did they move? no, me thinks not. They showed up here with their never ending epitaphs of disillusionment. The sad truth is that there are people in the world that hate us. They always have and always will, no mattter who our president is. That doesn't mean that we have to join them by trashing America and her policies. What that means is we change our government by electing new people to replace the ones we disagree with. It's called being proactive rather than reactive, rational rather than emotional, and constructive rather than critical and destructive. The answer isn't to give this country away to everyone because they say they deserve it, the answer is to earn the right to manage it because you belong to it, not because it belongs to you. In disagreement with you, I am not angry at our government, it has become what we have allowed to to be. I am just sick and tired of hearing everyone complain and blame others because it isn't the way they want it to be. As for our President, I support him until there is another, and then I will give him respect too... until the next election. Then I will determine if I support him. As for the country this has been for 230 years, try not to forget that it was founded on conservative, Judaeo/Christian values and we ought not to get too far from them if we want to remain who we are, brdbndt
Comment: 2 + 2 =5
Comment: Rice ought to be ousted, along with Bush and Cheney. She"s a liar just like they are. These people have ruined the lives of many Americans with this senseless war they started. Ever since this administration started, they have been doing nothing but lying to the American people. These people are a disgrace to the American people and this country.
Comment: BAGHDAD=BABYLON=CONFUSION. ALWAYS HAS, ALWAYS WILL.
Comment: In terms of her legacy, Dr. Rice will never be viewed outside the Neo-Conservative Community as anything more than ???Junior???s Bottom ***???.
Comment: BAGHDAD=BABYLON=CONFUSION. ALWAYS HAS, ALWAYS WILL.
Comment: In terms of her legacy, Dr. Rice will never be viewed outside the Neo-Conservative Community as anything more Than ???Junior???s Bottom ***???.
Comment: .
Comment: Are these people insane? One day they publish an article about how Iraqi refugees are returning home because the countries they fled to won't keep them anymore, the next day they say their going back to iraq on their own free will because they feel that it's now safe. This is one more pathetic attempt by the bush administration before they leave office (if they ever do) to leave us with the feeling that Iraq was a success. They bought their tickets, they knew what the were getting into. I say, let em crash.
Comment: I quote Leo Delaney. I could not have said it better myself. He is 1000 percent correct!!
Posted By: leodelaney @ 11/08/2007 9:56:30 PM
Comment: I don't think history will allow her and the malevolent incompetent she works for to get away with the tens of thousands of young Americans dead and maimed, the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis suffering the same fate, the half trillion already spent and the trillion that remains to be spent, the destruction of the United States honor and morality and the loss of all our allies and the respect of our enemies. Nor will it accept that "we made some mistakes, but its not as bad in Iraq now as it was when we invaded four and a half years ago." as a fit apology for the greatest military, political, ethical and economic blunder in the history of the nation. History will underscore the illigitimacy of the invasion, the lack of reason for the invasion, the lies and evasions utilized to dupe an ignorant populace into supporting a farcical war in Iraq and the "War of Terrorism." George W. Bush, Condaleeza Rice, Dick Cheney and others will go down in History reviled as the other leaders of formerly great nations who, because of their own incompetence and malevolence, hurled their nation down the path to a totally unnecessary and ineffective war; a war that was lost early on, but which their intransigence and pride kept from ending even though the carnage was increasing day by day. History won't let them off because "Well gee, maybe we made a few mistakes."
Comment: Posted by Natalie Rosen: I am quoting again Leo Delaney because his comment is exactly correct in every way. I could not have said it better myself. He says the following:
Posted By: leodelaney @ 11/08/2007 9:56:30 PM
Comment: I don't think history will allow her and the malevolent incompetent she works for to get away with the tens of thousands of young Americans dead and maimed, the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis suffering the same fate, the half trillion already spent and the trillion that remains to be spent, the destruction of the United States honor and morality and the loss of all our allies and the respect of our enemies. Nor will it accept that "we made some mistakes, but its not as bad in Iraq now as it was when we invaded four and a half years ago." as a fi
