Rice Acknowledges Some Bad Iraq Decisions
Wed Jan 19, 2005 10:55 AM ET
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By Saul Hudson and Arshad Mohammed

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State-designate Condoleezza Rice said on Wednesday the Bush administration made some bad decisions in Iraq and was unprepared for stabilizing the country in a rare acknowledgment of mistakes.

But Democrats complained the Republican President Bush's administration was unwilling to learn from its mistakes to change policies in Iraq, be candid about the cost of continued deployment and develop a better exit strategy.

"We have made a lot of decisions in this period of time. Some of them have been good, some of them have not been good, some of them have been bad decisions, I am sure," Rice told the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

"We didn't have the right skills, the right capacity, to deal with a reconstruction effort of this kind," she said on the second day of hearings on her confirmation, which is expected to be easily approved by the Republican-led Senate.

Rice's acknowledgment of mistakes followed criticism her testimony on Tuesday belied the reality on the ground, where a raging insurgency has repeatedly delayed the training of Iraqi forces who would eventually take over from U.S. troops.

Rice declined to predict for senators when U.S. forces would return home but asserted there had been progress in training Iraqis to eventually replace the 150,000 American troops.

Democrats, who accused the Bush administration of misleading the country into war and sending too few troops into Iraq to stabilize it, called for more candor.

"We've all got to be honest also with the world, otherwise we'll do terrible damage beyond what we've already done to our credibility," the committee's ranking Democrat, Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware, said.

He complained the administration's inability to learn from its mistakes limited its options and ability to respond to other major foreign policy challenges.

"It's much harder for the world to rally to our side if we have to face a truly (imminent) threat in (North) Korea or Iran," he said.

Despite the criticism, Rice's nomination is expected to be easily approved by the committee on Wednesday.

he full Senate is then expected to confirm her as the first black woman secretary of state, probably on Thursday, the day of Bush's inauguration for a second four-year term.

Bush has chosen the 50-year-old former Stanford University provost to replace Colin Powell, widely admired abroad and often seen as the Cabinet's lone dove stressing diplomacy to solve crises.

'LACK OF FLEXIBILITY'

California Democrat Sen. Barbara Boxer, who on Tuesday challenged Rice on the administration's case for war, urged Rice to change policy where necessary.

"It seems to me there is a rigidness here, a lack of flexibility," Boxer said.

The Bush administration, which has pursued its Iraq policy in the face of persistent criticism, has generally avoided acknowledging mistakes.

The New York Times in an editorial criticized Rice for failing to admit mistakes, and worried that her unwillingness to change strategy there meant she would simply try to "sell flawed American foreign policy" abroad.

I am really frightened here, Colin Powell might not have been a good statesman but I never thought for a moment that he could single handidly ruin foriegn relations. Mrs. Rice is quite capable.

I concur. I think Powell did a relatively good job with the situations he was dealt. At the very least, he seemed to be able to calm the storm with whoever he met with. This just reminds me of a Daily Show where they listed all the numerous accomplishments of Rice and then cut back to Stewart who said "Apparently she can do everything except make peace with other countries."

Bush seems determined to have a cabinet with no dissenting voices, just lapdogs and his girlfriends. Dissent makes his brain hurt.

--PunkDavid

Which I can't really blame him for. I mean, he got elected for a second term. Why not surround yourself with as many yes-men/women as possible? It's not like you have to worry about the next election. Ideally, it'd be great to have a diverse cabinet and advisors, but is anyone really surprised that isn't happening?

Surprised? Not in the least. But there are very good reasons to NEVER surround yourself with yes-men, no matter what your position in the world is, and especially as the single most powerful man on earth. It has nothing to do with re-election prospects.

--PunkDavid

I am going to retract my former statement because I just realized she is no longer the Head of National Security, I feel safer already. I agree with this move because currently I am not sure if our foreign relations standing could worsen. I haven't read up on any of this shit lately, who is going to take her cabinet position? (crosses fingers thinks "ollie north")

I FIND YOUR LACK OF FAITH DISTURBING....

I CRUSH YOUR HEAD! CRUSH, CRUSH, CRUSH YOUR HEAD!

Now that Axis of Evil jokes have been done to death, she's come up with, wait for it,


OUTPOSTS OF TYRANNY!!! (that's Iran, N. Korea, Cuba, Burma, Belarus and Zimbabwe)

and...

NEGATIVE FORCE!!! (that's Venezuela)

As opposed to the US which is a "Duderanch of tyranny".

--PunkDavid

Isn't Saul Hudson Slash's real name???

I think Condi is a member of RM. I've seen this argument around.



http://adbusters.org/blogs/content/view/76/

How many pages down was this ancient thread?

"Condoleezza Rice said on Wednesday the Bush administration made some bad decisions in Iraq and was unprepared for stabilizing the country in a rare acknowledgment of mistakes."


Maybe she could appologise in person to the several hundred thousand people's families who have loved ones that are now dead because of their "bad decisions"

There is no way on Earth she said that! Provide a link, please.

I took the quote from the original story.