Posted on 12/02/2006 8:49:34 AM PST by Dark Skies
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Friday she is certain the United States has made mistakes in the Iraq war, but the world will have to wait until she is out of government to learn what she thinks they were.
"As to whether the United States has made mistakes: of course, I'm sure we have," Rice told interviewer Saad Sillawi of the Arabic satellite television station Al-Arabiya. "You can't be involved in something as big as the liberation of a country like Iraq, and all that has happened since, and I'm sure there are things that we could have done differently."
She told Sillawi, however, that the Bush administration is looking ahead, not backward.
"When I'm back at Stanford University," she said, "I can look back and write books about what we might have done differently."
Rice was a political science professor and later provost at Stanford. She was interviewed at a conference in Jordan, and the State Department distributed the transcript in Washington.
On 9/12.
Mistake #2: Putzing around with the UN for over 6 months leading up to the invasion, which gave Saddam (and his Euro/Russian allies) all the time he needed to get his WMDs out of the upcoming war zone.
Mistake #3: Attempting to "win Islamic hearts and minds" by being ultra-sensitive while fighting the terrorist insurgency. (One example of many -- not killing Sadr immediately). Islamics understand the language of overwhelming, merciless force only, and perceive anything less than that as weakness. ....which of course just serves to encourage them.
Mistake #4: Making the assumption that giving Arabs/Muslims American-style liberty/Democracy would result in a more stable nation less hostile to American interests. We saw what happened when (so-called) Palestinians were given voting rights -- they immediately elected Hamas to power.
Of course the US has made mistakes. Who doesn't?
But Condi knows that the overall effort is succeeding...and a noble effort it is.
This is a statement of humility by a superpower who is going to be seen as right in the long run. Other nations fighting wars can learn from our successes, and failures as well.
pure class
That is for sure.
And being clueless about Islam; thinking Islam was a religion of peace, and it had been hijacked by a few fanatics. - tom
Ah yes, instead of the world listenign to the commanderso n the ground IN Iraq, they'll wait till Condi- the brilliant 'war strategist'- is out of office to see what she has to say about the WOT. Cripes- Don't trust the commanders- but wait for someone FAR removed from the action to obliviate hteir biased opinion instead- BRILLIANT! http://sacredscoop.com
I feel the same way.
Condi had great aptitude for the job.
But it is apparent now she doesn't have the ability. - Tom
That's the danger of electing people before really getting to know them- I too was thinking she'd make a sensible elected official- whether president or or whatever, but now, her real beleifs are starting to surface, and we're learning - like with powell - that they aren't fit for office. (like probably 1/2 to 2/3 of those in congress whom we later learned weren't as good as we thought in the beginning & probably like obama, who everyone is glomming on to right now as the up and comming 'rock star of politics', or like even rudy guiliany) People tend to look at the surface & see th4m as polished, but under neath- they really aint- it's all smokescreens
Therefore, we should now call for the resignation of the Commander in Chief and the Vice President in the new year so that the level headed and perfect person who never has and never will make any mistakes, Nancy Pelosi, can become the supreme ruler of the planet.
(By the way, I am being sarcastic here, there is no need for a Zot.)
Yeah, well, maybe she'll run for POTUS. Yeah, yeah, that's the ticket.....not.
FMCDH(BITS)
--Thomas Jefferson to Francois D'Ivernois, 1795
Consider the aftermath of 9/11. The Administration (but not they alone certainly) were culpable for not taking the al-Qaeda seriously enough before. But *afterward* they produced a multifaceted and effective strategy for dealing with the threat.
Contrast this with the situation in Iraq for the last year. Obviously what we're doing is not achieving the goal, but nothing has been done, nothing changed, even though it is clear, to me and others, what needs to be done. Worse, they are not even following through on the post 9/11 strategy of engaging foreign state sponsors of terrorism. What direct action have we taken against Iran and Syria for example?
Brilliant observation..........ugh
We didn't stop and fight them all along the way so there were might few fatalities on our side.
All this hysteria over looters...FGS!
It was a brilliant plan that worked flawlessly.
Now it will take time to pacify those who want revenge, those who fear freedom of thought. They're still killing each other in Kosovo, Russia, Chechnya, Ireland, Bosnia........etc.
Academics and liberal talk show hosts NEVER make mistakes!
They always give themselves A++ and write "excellent" and "brilliant," in the margins of their own scripts with red ink.
However, everybody else. would act differently, if they knew then, what they know now -- because they do not have perfect knowledge to begin with that is unvarying even until the end of time.
Hosannas to the academics and liberal talk show hosts as we enter this season of celebration of the birth of their perfect selves.
Glory be to God, for the holy of holies like Helen Thomas -- the most perfect of virgins, and her own begotten son, Chris Matthews.
All hail the perfect ones in the media. Bow on your knees; they will deliver us from all manner of imperfections and deliver us into the kingdom where they are God.
The sooner he is arrested the better it will be for us and the Iraqis
Anyone have a canidate for a perfectly executed war?
All wars mistakes are made.
Whats that old saying? if something like 20% of your battle plan actually happens you will win.
Critics- Rice is making mistake after mistake leading to the current mess.
Sycophants- You're just bashers who can not appreciate Rice's brilliant stratigic thinking. And she plays the piano.
Rice- We made mistakes
Sycophants- Rice is a genius and brilliant for admitting that she made mistakes.
Critics- What has she done that has not turned out to be a mistake and damaging to the US?
Rice- I will write about the mistakes when I'm out of office.
Sycophants- What class. Meanwhile carry on with your brilliant strategies.
Critics- You can't make this stuff up. Comedy and tragedy simultaneously.
Sycophants- Rice for President.
Condi Rice ,Go to Hell .Better yet go back to harvard NOW
Amazing, inn't it, this insistence from the Disloyal Opposition that the Administration admit to mistakes while the conflict is still raging!
Anyone who's ever been involved in a large project -- in my case, software development -- understands that things NEVER go as originally planned and there's always something you could have done differently. And software is a lot simpler than War.
Idiots.
Good Ike quote and a good illustration as to why he wisely avoided sending troops to French Indo China in 1954.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.