Yep!!
That was a quick phone call; my sister is groggy from medicine.
President: Gen. Casey has said 2006 is the year we'll train police and he met with the Prime Minister on how we'll secure Baghdad.
Tony Blair: It's important to get a sense of balance . It would be foolish to say they have full force capability. No one is saying that. It's also wrong to turn it around the other way though. I had a detailed discussion with the ordinary soldiers, British soldiers in Baghdad, and people working with police . They said there are problems with corruption in the police force and people also who are dedicated who also are playing their party.
The whole question is whether this new goverment can grip this in the way only they can. This is where over time we have to transfer responsibility. ANd that is what we wish to do. IT's easier for an Iraqi interior minister who is the product of an elected government, to take the tough measures necesssary.
This Iraqi government knows this is a requisite necessity for them. People didn't go to the police in Iraq if they had a problem. They had a problem if they were in contact with the plice because of the way the state was run.
So we're building the institutions of a state from scratch.
So I don't think it's unusual it's difficult and taking time. But they know it's of vital importance for them to succeed.
? Mr. President, you spoke about misteps and mistakes in Iraq. What mistakesof your own do you most regret.
President: It sounds like a familiar refrain here. I guess "Bring it on". It sent the wrong signal to people. I learned some lessons to express myself in more sophisticated manner. "Wanted dead or alive". That kind of talk.
(Don't change your speaking manner, Mr. President. I like it. Clinton was a beautiful speaker but when he was done, I didn't know what he was saying).
President: Abu Graib. We've been paying for that in the world for a long time.
Tony Blair: SOme of the things we thought would be the biggest challenges weren't and the other way too. In retrospect, we could have done de-Baathication in a better way than we did. I think the most difficult thing has been the determination of people to move against the democratic process in Iraq (mostly from the media).