Rice Concedes Errors in Iraq, Elsewhere (thousands of "tactical errors")

[sabra]

http://www.bdtonline.com/editorials/feeds/apcontent/apstories/apstorysection/D8GMJ658B.xml.txt/resources_apstoryview

Rice Concedes Errors in Iraq, Elsewhere



Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice conceded Friday that the United States probably has made thousands of "tactical errors" in Iraq and elsewhere, but said it will be judged by its larger aims of peace and democracy in the Middle East.

The U.S. diplomat met loud anti-war protests in the streets and skeptical questions about U.S. involvement in Iraq at a foreign policy salon Friday, including one about whether Washington had learned from its "mistakes over the past three years."

Rice replied that leaders would be "brain-dead" if they did not absorb the lessons of their times.

"I know we've made tactical errors, thousands of them I'm sure," Rice told an audience gathered by the British foreign policy think tank Chatham House. "But when you look back in history, what will be judged will be, did you make the right strategic decisions."

[swag]

1. Probably only hundreds of strategic errors, though.

[saltpoint]

2. : ) / n/t

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

17. At least one big one.

[Benhurst]

3. The end justifies the means. What a brilliant thought, Condoleezza (sic)!

[Bandit]

24. A real reporter would have posed that very question to her

Funny how all we ever hear are the crickets chirping...So are you saying the ends justify the means? Please clarify for us. But no not one word in that vein.:shrug:

[LibDemAlways]

4. Rice got one thing right.....the

part about our leaders being "brain dead."

[gratuitous]

5. Well no shit, Sherlock

And as for the judgment of history, how do you suppose history is going to judge Adolf Hitler? He claimed over and over again that all he wanted was peace in Europe.

Suggested new Republican slogan: "Sure, we've fucked up a lot of things, thousands of them even, but our stated intention was that we wanted to bring peace and democracy to the Middle East." So Abu Ghraib, Shock and Awe, planning to re-paint our planes as UN planes, Kama Ado, and all the rest of the atrocities -- intentional, accidental, planned, or inevitable -- were all for the noblest of causes.

Fucking asswipes. Murderous, bloodthirsty asswipes.

[RaRa]

11. hey gratuitous

would you enlighten me about "planning to re-paint our planes as UN planes, Kama Ado"...don't know about those. link? thanks.

[annabanana]

12. here ya go!

http://www.channel4.com/news/special-reports/special-reports-storypage.jsp?id=1661

[gratuitous]

16. The latest memos out of Great Britain

Here (emphasis mine):

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/27/international/europe/27memo.html

"The memo also shows that the president and the prime minister acknowledged that no unconventional weapons had been found inside Iraq. Faced with the possibility of not finding any before the planned invasion, Mr. Bush talked about several ways to provoke a confrontation, including a proposal to paint a United States surveillance plane in the colors of the United Nations in hopes of drawing fire, or assassinating Mr. Hussein."

And here:

http://www.doublestandards.org/infamy1.html

"{November 29} In 2001 American B-52's dropped 25 JDAM MK-83 1000 pound bombs on the village of Kama Ado in Afghanistan killing a reported 200-300 villagers. 156 were confirmed killed by a village elder."

[The White Tree]

6. I guess she never heard the phrase.......

the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

[Xipe Totec]

10. Yes, so much for the Bible thumpers

"Hell is full of good intentions or desires."

- Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (1091-1153)

[wordpix]

7. Repuke Aims: Peace & Democracy. Repuke Results: War & Chaos

This could be a Dem slogan.

[Warren Stupidity]

21. That was never their goal.

They intended to destroy and destabilize.

[Virginia Dare]

8. Okay, so dump on the soldiers...

It was brilliant strategy, just piss-poor tactics, is that the story now? Who answers for that, I wonder? Wasn't it Rummy who said you go to war with the army you have?

On the other hand, I do agree with her on one thing, our leaders ARE brain-dead.

[tabasco]

34. They are blaming the military. They have no honor or shame.

The corporate cabal will quickly blame the military for the fiasco in Iraq.

They showed their lack of concern for the troops when they deliberately lied us into a war for corporate profits.

Now they try to pass the blame to the military for the resulting deadly quagmire.

The highest leaders of the Bush corporate cabal are war criminals and must be punished for their crimes!

[Xipe Totec]

9. The road to hell is paved with good intentions n/t

[Warren Stupidity]

23. What good intentions?

There were no good intentions here. None at all.

[Xipe Totec]

28. You have a point.

I also question their true motivations.

Nevertheless, the rethugs claim their heart was in the right place.

My point is that even if we do grant them good intentions, they are still wrong.

[Supersedeas]

13. where is the evidence that * has absorbed the lessons of these times?

[The Backlash Cometh]

14. One of many of those errors was putting her in charge of National

Security in 2001.

[Vidar]

15. I support friendly fire for republicans & fundies.

[godai]

18. I agree that brain dead * has not absorbed the lessons of his times.

Do you think that she meant it that way? What a dunce to refer to 1000's of mistakes! 1,000s?? And she's sure of it?? How about saying 'numerous', 'many', 'dozens' rather than such a large number. Seems that she is trying to say 'lose the battle, win the war' but in this case it's more like win a battle (original invasion), lose many battles (since) and lose the war, or more likely declare victory after the 2006 elections and finally go home.

[karlrschneider]

19. Pyrrhus would be proud.

:grr: :eyes:

[junior college]

20. yuck. that woman give me

the creeps.

[newyawker99]

27. Hi junior college!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Kenergy]

33. Welcome junior college! n/t

[Warren Stupidity]

22. It is never their fault.

No matter how fucked up they make things they always have somebody else to blame. Blame the goddamn troops on the ground, but no blame for the brilliant strategy that put them there. What a bunch of spoiled little children. Only they are not children, they are adults, and their deliberate actions have killed tens of thousands. If Mr. Moussoui deserves the death penalty, what do these criminals deserve?

[Zenlitened]

25. Iraq = biggest military blunder in American history.

Fact.

Unless, of course, the aim was to guarantee we'd wind up in a state of perpetual -- and highly profitable, to some -- war.

Then the plan worked perfectly.

[madmark]

26. collossal lack of judgment at the STRATEGIC level you lightweight

[matt819]

29. When I was working for the government

which was, thankfully, before the US switched over to a monarchy, I would have been fired if I had committed thousands of tactical errors. You know, when I come to think of it, I probably would have been fired for even just a few hundred tactical errors. Silly me. That was in the pre-non-accountability days. Life is so much simpler now. No one's responsible for anything. Gosh, personnel appraisal reports must be pretty darned amusing . . . and pointless.

[DUHandle]

30. They didn't quite tell Condi the truth.

Not holes, assholes.


http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2113506,00.html

[cliss]

31. Now, just imagine CondaLiar

Rice, as she's sitting in front of this group. She does her best acting, in her entire career. She wonders why she doesn't get nominated for an Oscar.

As she tries her best to convince them, her head finds itself going from left to right, in a "no" fashion. Her listeners look at her, confused.

As she continues the charade, sweat starts to build on her forehead. She hopes the glare from the lights won't show it too much. Her eyes dart back and forth, as she tries to gauge the general mood.

I really feel sorry for her, right now. TRULY.

[Kenergy]

32. Get a clue Rice

"I know we've made tactical errors, thousands of them I'm sure"

This isn't Burger King Bitch...the decisions you and your cronies make are getting people
killed!!!! On the job training isn't part of your job description...you are supposed to
have a basic clue what you're doing. You, Bush, Rumsfeld and Cheney are INCOMPETENT.

RESIGN and let someone qualified take over.


<end of rant>

Have a nice day :-)

[nevergivein]

35. Young Man Tells Of His Torture In Iraq.

Thanks for your insight Condi. While the leaders would be brain-dead, others are physically dead because of the leaders "tactical errors".

And the horror in Iraq continues. Everything in chaos and violence. So much suffering. I found this piece that is a first person account by a young man in iraq who was tortured in the cells at the Ministry Of the Interior. This is the reality of the life there.

http://www.manticeye.com/blog/

[krkaufman]

36. What bs. Leaves 'em to argue over the definitions of...

... strategic and tactical, rather than the wholesale failure of everything these idiots have done.