The Neocon Architects of War: Where Are They Now?
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THE ARCHITECTS OF WAR: WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
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http://thinkprogress.org/2006/04/05/architects-of-war/
President Bush has not fired any of the architects of the Iraq war. In
fact, a review of the key planners of the conflict reveals that they
have been rewarded - not blamed - for their incompetence.
PAUL WOLFOWITZ
Role In Going To War: Wolfowitz said the U.S. would be greeted as
liberators, that Iraqi oil money for pay for the reconstruction, and
that Gen. Eric Shinseki's estimate that several hundred thousand
troops would be needed was "wildly off the mark." [Washington Post,
12/8/05]
Where He Is Now: Bush promoted Wolfowitz to head the World Bank in
March 2005. [Washington Post, 3/17/05]
Key Quote: "We are dealing with a country that can really finance its
own reconstruction and relatively soon." [Wolfowitz, 3/27/03]
DOUGLAS FEITH
Role In Going To War: As Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, Feith
spearheaded two secretive groups at the Pentagon - the Counter
Terrorism Evaluation Group and the Office of Special Plans - that
were instrumental in drawing up documents that explained the supposed
ties between Saddam and al Qaeda. The groups were "created in order
to find evidence of what Wolfowitz and his boss, Defense Secretary
Donald Rumsfeld, believed to be true." Colin Powell referred to
Feith's operation as the Gestapo. In Bob Woodward's Plan of Attack,
former CentCom Commander Gen. Tommy Franks called Feith the "f***ing
stupidest guy on the face of the earth." [LAT, 1/27/05; NYT, 4/28/04;
New Yorker, 5/12/03; Plan of Attack, p.281]
Where He Is Now: Feith voluntarily resigned from the Defense Department
shortly after Bush's reelection. He is co-chairman of a project at
Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government to write an
academic book on how to fight terrorism. Feith's secretive groups at
the Pentagon are under investigation by the Pentagon and the Senate
Intelligence Committee for intelligence failures. [Washington Post,
1/27/05, 11/18/05; Washington Times, 3/3/06]
Key Quote: "I am not asserting to you that I know that the answer is
- we did it right. What I am saying is it's an extremely complex
judgment to know whether the course that we chose with its pros and
cons was more sensible." [Washington Post, 7/13/05]
STEPHEN HADLEY
Role In Going To War: As then-Deputy National Security Advisor, Hadley
disregarded memos from the CIA and a personal phone call from Director
George Tenet warning that references to Iraq's pursuit of uranium be
dropped from Bush's speeches. The false information ended up in
Bush's 2003 State of the Union address. [Washington Post, 7/23/03]
Where He Is Now: On January 26, 2005, Stephen Hadley was promoted to
National Security Advisor. [White House bio]
Key Quote: "I should have recalled at the time of the State of the
Union speech that there was controversy associated with the uranium
issue. ... And it is now clear to me that I failed in that
responsibility in connection with the inclusion of these 16 words in
the speech that he gave on the 28th of January." [Hadley, 7/22/03]
RICHARD PERLE
Role In Going To War: Richard Perle, the so-called "Prince of
Darkness," was the chairman of Defense Policy Board during the run-up
to the Iraq war. He suggested Iraq had a hand in 9-11. In 1996, he
authored "Clean Break," a paper that was co-signed by Douglas
Feith, David Wurmser, and others that argued for regime change in Iraq.
Shortly after the war began, Perle resigned from the Board because he
came under fire for having relationships with businesses that stood to
profit from the war. [Guardian, 9/3/02, 3/28/03; AFP, 8/9/02]
Where He Is Now: Currently, Perle is a resident fellow at the American
Enterprise Institute where he specializes in national security and
defense issues. He has been investigated for ethical violations
concerning war profiteering and other conflicts of interest.
[Washington Post, 9/1/04]
Key Quote: "And a year from now, I'll be very surprised if there is
not some grand square in Baghdad that is named after President Bush.
There is no doubt that, with the exception of a very small number of
people close to a vicious regime, the people of Iraq have been
liberated and they understand that they've been liberated. And it is
getting easier every day for Iraqis to express that sense of
liberation." [Perle, 9/22/03]
ELLIOT ABRAMS
Role In Going To War: Abrams was one of the defendants in the
Iran-Contra Affair, and he pled guilty to two misdemeanor counts of
withholding information from Congress. He was appointed Special
Assistant to the President and Senior Director on the National Security
Council for Near East and North African Affairs during Bush's first
term, where he served as Bush's chief advisor on the Middle East. His
name surfaced as part of the investigation into who leaked the name of
a undercover CIA operative Valerie Plame. [Washington Post, 5/27/03,
2/3/05]
Where He Is Now: Abrams was promoted to deputy national security
adviser in February of 2005. [Slate, 2/17/05]
Key Quote: "We recognize that military action in Iraq, if necessary,
will have adverse humanitarian consequences. We have been planning over
the last several months, across all relevant agencies, to limit any
such consequences and provide relief quickly." [CNN, 2/25/03]
DAVID WURMSER
Role In Going To War: At the time of the war, Wurmser was a special
assistant to John Bolton in the State Department. Wurmser has long
advocated the belief that both Syria and Iraq represented threats to
the stability of the Middle East. In early 2001, Wurmser had issued a
call for air strikes against Iraq and Syria. Along with Perle, he is
considered a main author of "Clean Break." [Asia Times, 4/17/03;
Guardian, 9/3/02]
Where He Is Now: Wurmser was promoted to Principal Deputy Assistant to
the Vice President for National Security Affairs; he is in charge of
coordinating Middle East strategy. His name has been associated with
the Plame Affair and with an FBI investigation into the passing of
classified information to Chalabi and AIPAC. [Raw Story, 10/19/05;
Washington Post, 9/4/04]
Key Quote: "Syria, Iran, Iraq, the PLO and Sudan are playing a
skillful game, but have consistently worked to undermine US interests
and influence in the region for years, and certainly will continue to
do so now, even if they momentarily, out of fear, seem more
forthcoming." [Washington Post, 9/24/01]
ANDREW NATSIOS
Role In Going To War: Shortly after the invasion of Iraq, Andrew
Natsios, then the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International
Development, went on Nightline and claimed that the U.S. contribution
to the rebuilding of Iraq would be just $1.7 billion. When it became
quickly apparent that Natsios' prediction would fall woefully short
of reality, the government came under fire for scrubbing his comments
from the USAID Web site. [Washington Post, 12/18/03; ABC News, 4/23/03]
Where He Is Now: Natsios stepped down as the head of USAID in January
and is currently teaching at Georgetown University's Edmund A.
Walsh's School of Foreign Service as a Distinguished Professor in the
Practice of Diplomacy and Advisor on International Development. [AP,
2/20/06; Georgetown, 12/2/05]
Key Quote: "[T]he American part of this will be $1.7 billion. We have
no plans for any further-on funding for this." [Nightline, 4/23/03]
DAN BARTLETT
Role In Going To War: Dan Bartlett was the White House Communications
Director at the time of the war and was a mouthpiece in hyping the Iraq
threat. Bartlett was also a regular participant in the weekly meetings
of the White House Iraq Group (WHIG). The main purpose of the group was
the systematic coordination of the "marketing" of going to war with
Iraq as well as selling the war here at home. [Washington Post,
8/10/03]
Where He Is Now: Bartlett was promoted to Counselor to the President on
January 5, 2005, and is responsible for the formulation of policy and
implementation of the President's agenda. [White House]
Key Quote: "President Bush understands that the need to disarm Saddam
Hussein is necessary. He has made that case to the United Nations
Security Council. He's made that case to the United States Congress.
The entire world rallied behind this resolution that gives him one last
chance. He has that chance, but time is running out." [CNN, 1/26/03]
MITCH DANIELS
Role In Going To War: Mitch Daniels was the director of the Office of
Management and Budget from January 2001 through June of 2003. In this
capacity, he was responsible for releasing the initial budget estimates
for the Iraq War which he pegged at $50 to $60 billion. The estimated
cost of the war, including the full economic ramifications, is
approaching $1 trillion. [MSNBC, 3/17/06]
Where He Is Now: In 2004, Daniels was elected Governor of Indiana. [USA
Today, 11/3/04]
Key Quote: Mitch Daniels had said the war would be an "affordable
endeavor" and rejected an estimate by the chief White House economic
adviser that the war would cost between $100 billion and $200 billion
as "very, very high." [Christian Science Monitor, 1/10/06]
GEORGE TENET
Role In Going To War: As CIA Director, Tenet was responsible for
gathering information on Iraq and the potential threat posted by Saddam
Hussein. According to author Bob Woodward, Tenet told President Bush
before the war that there was a "slam dunk case" that Saddam
possessed weapons of mass destruction. Tenet remained publicly silent
while the Bush administration made pre-war statements on Iraq's
supposed nuclear program and ties to al Qaeda that were contrary to the
CIA's judgments. Tenet issued a statement in July 2003, drafted by
Karl Rove and Scooter Libby, taking responsibility for Bush's false
statements in his State of the Union address. [CNN, 4/19/04; NYT,
7/22/05]
Where He Is Now: Tenet voluntarily resigned from the administration on
June 3, 2004. He was later awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom.
[Washington Post, 6/3/04]
Key Quote: "It's a slam dunk case." [CNN, 4/19/04]
COLIN POWELL
Role In Going To War: Despite stating in Feb. 2001 that Saddam had not
developed "any significant capability with respect to weapons of mass
destruction," Powell made the case in front of the United Nations for
a United States-led invasion of Iraq, stating that, "There can be no
doubt that Saddam Hussein has biological weapons and the capability to
rapidly produce more, many more. And he has the ability to dispense
these lethal poisons and diseases in ways that can cause massive death
and destruction." [Powell, 2/5/03; Powell, 2/24/01]
Where He Is Now: Shortly after Bush won reelection in 2004, Powell
resigned from the administration. Powell now sits on numerous corporate
boards. He is poised to succeed Henry Kissinger in May as Chairman of
the Eisenhower Fellowship Program at the City College of New York. In
September 2005, Powell said of his U.N. speech that it was a "blot"
on his record. He went on to say, "It will always be a part of my
record. It was painful. It's painful now." [ABC News, 9/9/05]
Key Quote: "'You are going to be the proud owner of 25 million
people,' he told the president. 'You will own all their hopes,
aspirations, and problems. You'll own it all.' Privately, Powell
and Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage called this the Pottery
Barn rule: You break it, you own it." [Bob Woodward, Plan of Attack]
DONALD RUMSFELD
Role In Going To War: Prior to the war, Rumsfeld repeatedly suggested
the war in Iraq would be short and swift. He said, "The Gulf War in
the 1990s lasted five days on the ground. I can't tell you if the use
of force in Iraq today would last five days, or five weeks, or five
months, but it certainly isn't going to last any longer than that."
He also said, "It is unknowable how long that conflict will last. It
could last six days, six weeks. I doubt six months." [Rumsfeld,
11/14/02; USA Today, 4/1/03]
Where He Is Now: Despite increased calls for his resignation, Donald
Rumsfeld continues to be the most vocal supporter of staying the course
in Iraq. Recently, he claimed that an early U.S. pullout would be the
equivalent of leaving Germany in the hands of Nazis. [Bill Kristol,
Washington Post, 12/15/04; Reuters, 3/19/06]
Key Quote: "You go to war with the Army you have. They're not the
Army you might want or wish to have at a later time." [CNN, 12/9/04]
CONDOLEEZZA RICE
Role In Going To War: As National Security Adviser, Rice disregarded at
least two CIA memos and a personal phone call from Director George
Tenet stating that the evidence behind Iraq's supposed uranium
acquisition was weak. She urged the necessity of war because "we
don't want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud." [Washington
Post, 7/27/03; CNN, 9/8/02]
Where She Is Now: In December of 2004, Condoleezza Rice was promoted to
Secretary of State and is being widely-mentioned as a possible
presidential candidate. [ABC News, 11/16/04]
Key Quote: "We did not know at the time - maybe someone knew down
in the bowels of the agency - but no one in our circles knew that
there were doubts and suspicions that this might be a forgery. Of
course it was information that was mistaken." [Meet the Press,
6/8/03]
DICK CHENEY
Role In Going To War: Among a host of false pre-war statements, Cheney
claimed that Iraq may have had a role in 9/11, stating that it was
"pretty well confirmed" that 9/11 hijacker Mohammed Atta met with
Iraqi intelligence officials. Cheney also claimed that Saddam was "in
fact reconstituting his nuclear program" and that the U.S. would be
"greeted as liberators." [Meet the Press, 12/9/01, 3/16/03]
Where He Is Now: Cheney earned another four years in power when Bush
won re-election in 2004. Despite recent calls from conservatives
calling for him to be replaced, Cheney has said, "I've now been
elected to a second term; I'll serve out my term." [CBS Face the
Nation, 3/19/06]
Key Quote: "I think they're in the last throes, if you will, of the
insurgency." [Larry King Live, 6/20/05]
GEORGE W. BUSH
Role In Going To War: Emphasizing Saddam Hussein's supposed stockpile
of weapons of mass destruction, supposed ties to al Qaeda, and supposed
nuclear weapons program, Bush led the effort to build public support
for an invasion of Iraq. [State of the Union, 1/28/03]
Where He Is Now: In November 2004, Bush won re-election. Since that
time, popular support for the war and the President have reached a low
point. [Washington Post, 3/7/06]
Key Quote: "Facing clear evidence of peril, we cannot wait for the
final proof - the smoking gun - that could come in the form of a
mushroom cloud." [Bush, 10/7/02]