Ten years on, Paul Wolfowitz admits U.S. bungled in Iraq
He accepted that too many Iraqis were excluded by a programme to purge members of the ruling Ba’ath party, that the dissolution of the Iraqi army was botched and that the “biggest hole” in post-war planning was not to anticipate the possibility of an insurgency.
“The most consequential failure was to understand the tenacity of Saddam’s regime,” he said.
Wolfowitz, 69, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington since he stepped down as World Bank president in 2007, has a somewhat diffident manner but he became animated as he reflected on the lead-up to the invasion and its aftermath.
He portrayed the Bush administration as deeply divided and he was fiercely critical of Colin Powell, the then secretary of state.
It was “outrageous” and “a joke” for Powell — who reportedly used to speak of a “Gestapo office” at the Pentagon — to have suggested that the case for the Iraq War was concocted by Wolfowitz and a cabal of fellow neoconservatives within the Bush administration, he said.
“I don’t think I ever met with the president alone. I didn’t meet with him very often. Powell had access to him whenever he wanted it. And if he was so sure it was a mistake why didn’t he say so?”
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Yep.
One bomb on Baghdad, one bomb on Tora Bora.
catmman on March 18, 2013 at 5:12 PM
Notice how they don’t use the name of the Viceroy of Baghdad – Paul Bremmer. He was the one that they put in charge of the whole country and he had no idea what he was doing.
We treated the Nazis better than we treated the Iraqis and the Nazis killed an awful lot of Americans and Allies. We fought an insurgency in Germany for about two or three years after the war ended but the rebels couldn’t win because there was an alternative – the New Germany.
The New Iraq? For Shiites only. Sunnis, no.
platypus on March 18, 2013 at 5:16 PM
The problem was in the democracy project and the belief that we could or should rebuild the country.
I bought into the belief that Iraqis and Afghans would be happy to be liberated and would support western style democracy and freedom. the reality is that they don’t want western style democracy and freedom and never did.
The Iraq and Afghan wars should get rid of any idea of nation building. Our policy henceforth should simply be that we defeat you militarily if we see the need, and then we leave.
If a new bad regime arises and does something to cause us to go through it again, so be it. It would still be cheaper and easier than trying to build a nation and make them like us.
We should no longer believe in the Colin Powell “you break it you buy it” formulation. Instead, it should be if you make us break it – tough luck for you.
If we are going to stay somewhere long term – it should only be as victors that are going to govern as victors and take the spoils of victors. So, if we want to treat Iraq as a colony, utilize its oil reserves for our expenses, and force them to abide by western norms of civilization, fine. Otherwise, in and out. Defeat the regime and let the Iraqis sort out what comes next.
Monkeytoe on March 18, 2013 at 5:22 PM
Nice Auto Playing Video AD TOWNHALL! I HATE YOU!
Kaptain Amerika on March 18, 2013 at 5:49 PM
See how at first I’m just being bold with my statement and then I’m YELLING? That’s because I let the ad play while I type.
Kaptain Amerika on March 18, 2013 at 5:50 PM
I am sure Iraqis want democracy, but getting to democracy is hard, especially given their sectarian feuds.
I think it is naive to think that retaining of Baath structures and the army would have made things better. It would have only made the majority of the population, i.e. the Shiites and Kurds resent the government more as it would no doubt have been a vehicle for Sunnis to try to regain hegemony over the others.
The comparison with Germany doesn’t really work because: a. Germany was not surrounded by Iran, Syria and Saudi-Arabia, b. German young men were mostly killed or in prison camps, c. large parts of Germany were suffering from famine and the population was struggling to survive never mind insurrection.
The principal problem with Iraq war was that there just weren’t enough boots on the ground to preclude the insurrection in the early days of the occupation.
kittysaidwoof on March 18, 2013 at 6:15 PM
FIFY
profitsbeard on March 18, 2013 at 6:43 PM
Wrong…you did not understand Islam.
William Eaton on March 18, 2013 at 7:19 PM