Think Progress

Feith Showing Consistency In Blaming Others For Iraq War’s Failures

During an interview last night on 60 Minutes with former Pentagon official and Iraq war architect Douglas Feith, CBS correspondent Steve Kroft noted two key elements that led to the rise of the Iraqi insurgency shortly after the U.S. took control in April 2003: not having enough troops to stop the widespread looting and the decision to disband the Iraqi Army.

But instead of taking any responsibility, Feith quickly passed the buck, just as he has done in his latest book. He suggested that if only his plan for Iraq had been put in place after the invasion, none of the chaos that ensued would have taken place:

FEITH: We developed plans to try to give meaning to the concept of liberation rather than occupation, and one of — one of my great regrets is that the United States wound up setting up an occupation government in Iraq for 14 months, which I think was a — was a serious mistake.

Kroft then noted that Gen. Tommy Franks once referred to Feith as “the dumbest guy on the planet” and former CIA Director George Tenet called Feith’s intelligence evaluations “total crap.” Feith replied: “I don’t think its a great thing” to “use harsh language.”

Watch it:

[flv http://video.thinkprogress.org/2008/04/dumbfeith.320.240.flv]

Feith must only think its not “a great thing” to “use harsh language” when others are directing it towards him because he said recently that only “assholes” are concerned with how the use of torture reflects on America’s “moral authority.”

But more broadly, Feith is the latest in a long list of war supporters to deflect blame for the failures in Iraq from either themselves or the Bush administration. Indeed, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and AEI war hawk Danielle Pletka recently blamed the Iraqis for the continued violence in Iraq. Some other lowlights:

– Like Feith, fellow war architect Richard Perle blamed the war’s failures on the decision to not “turn Iraq over to Iraqis” after the fall of Baghdad.

– “Surge” brainchild Fred Kagan said last month that he “supported the 2003 invasion despite misgivings about how it would be executed, and those misgivings proved accurate.”

Former Iraq occupation governor L. Paul Bremer recently responded to the criticism from Feith and Perle that Iraq wasn’t handed over to the Iraqis soon enough saying: “It sounds like the architects are running away from their building here.”

UpdateCrooks and Liars has more on Feith's 60 Minutes interview.



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45 Responses to “Feith Showing Consistency In Blaming Others For Iraq War’s Failures”

  1. hil_1 Says:

    ugh that screen grab is horrible. that man reminds me of a retarded shaven gnome... no offence to retards or gnomes intnded.


  2. MCMetal Says:

    The only thing Doubting Thomas would agree with is the party of "personal responsibility" never accepts any ..........


  3. RUCerious Says:

    Who could have predicted these neoconassclowns would run away from taking responsibility for their lack of vision and groundless assumption regarding the aftermath of the invasion?/snark off.


  4. RUCerious Says:

    Off topic, but just picked up from First Read...
    From NBC/NJ's Adam Aigner-Treworgy
    KANSAS CITY, MO -- In a speech at the National World War I Museum here this morning, McCain gave a relatively optimistic appraisal of the situation in Iraq, saying that the recent reductions in violence have returned the country to something "approaching normal political and economic life for the average Iraqi."

    "Political reconciliation is occurring across Iraq at the local, provincial, grassroots level," McCain said. "Sunni and Shi'a chased from their homes by terrorist and sectarian violence are returning. The 'Sons of Iraq' and Awakening movements, where former Sunni insurgents have now joined in the fight against Al Qaeda, continue to grow."

    And more of McCain's nonsense can be read here


  5. Peter C Says:

    I REALLY want to see this guy sent to prison! His continued liberty is an absolute abomination.

    One of many, alas.


  6. VerbalKint Says:

    I am a nonviolent person, but my gut feeling every time I hear or see anything about Feith is that this is a person who deserves to have the crap beaten out of him.


  7. Dr. Hussein Matt Says:

    There is only ONE PERSON to blame for the failures in Iraq --> The President. herr dubyah IS the CIC.


  8. tombaker Says:

    Well, of course, as you all well know, Personal Responsibility is the Cornerstone of all Conservativism, always expected, and never accepted.

    (whiny loser excuse-making - how macho is that?)


  9. DRxJ Says:

    CBS correspondent Steve Kroft noted two key elements that led to the rise of the Iraqi insurgency shortly after the U.S. took control in April 2003:

    Let's not forget the huge stockpiles of weapons that were just left abandoned. Whose friggin' bright idea was that?
    "Hey, ignore the huge cache of AK-47's and such! We've got to find us the mythical MWD!"
    Brilliant!


  10. paleolib Says:

    The fact that the PNAC crew wanted to turn Iraq over to a guy who turned out to be an Iranian spy does little to enhance Dougie's pitiful grip on credibility.


  11. MCMetal Says:

    FEITH: We developed plans to try to give meaning to the concept of liberation rather than occupation, and one of — one of my great regrets is that the United States wound up setting up an occupation government in Iraq for 14 months, which I think was a — was a serious mistake.

    What the hell kind of bullshit is this ?

    This dildo wants to claim that the occupation government was set up for 14 months only ?

    What is the purpose of having the biggest US embassy built in Iraq if we were supposedly there "temporarily" , you lying toad ?

    You and your retarded ilk NEVER were concerned or planned for Iraq to be free and independent ; the actions and statements over the last 5 years proves that beyond a shadow of a doubt.

    You should be beaten with tire irons , you moronic pansy ........


  12. MCMetal Says:

    BTW

    Is it just me , or do Doogie Howser Feith and Craig Crawford seem as if they were perhaps separated at birth ?


  13. raynman Says:

    The pattern continues...

    The neocons continue to lie.

    The media, trying desperately to avoid the 'liberal media' tag, continue to kowtow to the neocons.

    And the truth slowly disappears behind curtains of obfuscation...


  14. Keith Says:

    To "turn Iraq over to the Iraqis" was never a consideration. It would defeat the whole purpose of the exercise. The purpose being: TO CONTROL THAT PART OF THE WORLD! We didn't do all this to liberate the Iraqis. We didn't do this because Saddam was a threat. We are the ones who put him in power in the first place. We sure didn't do it because he had WMD. The weapons inspectors could find nothing in 2002-03. Unless we can be sure we have puppets in control, the US must run Iraq and not the Iraqis. If you don't believe me, then just look at the last one hundred times the US has invaded another country.


  15. hussein toasterhead Says:

    He's going to be on Diane Rehm this Thursday. I look forward to her nailing him to the floor. Albeit ever-so-politely, as Diane is wont to do.


  16. Neeko Says:

    They all seem to fit the same profile,
    Small minded ideologues that totally ignore historical information and conventional wisdom.


  17. Art Says:

    I only watched this segment for a couple of minutes last night when I got disgusted and decided to take the dog for a walk. I would rather see the stuff come out of my dog's rear end rather than watch it spew out of this guy's mouth.


  18. vinylspear Says:

    Isn't this like blaming a rape victim for being raped?


  19. bobcat_grad Says:

    vinylspear Says:
    April 7th, 2008 at 3:46 pm
    Isn’t this like blaming a rape victim for being raped?

    I'll pretend to be a heartless, war-trumpting neo-con now: "Well, if the didn't want to be invaded, they shouldn't have dressed themself with all that oil."


  20. mary Says:

    Feith has really turned out to be quite the finger-pointer hasn't he?

    When you do any research on this guy it takes about five seconds to begin to wonder if he's working for the U.S.'s interests or Israel's. Do your own research and you will see what I mean. Seriously.

    'Feith is no stranger to intelligence scandals. In 1982 he left the National Security Council under the shadow of an FBI investigation of administration officials suspected of passing intelligence information to Israel. During the Bush II administration, investigative reports by Seymour Hersh in the New Yorker focused public attention on the Office of Special Plans that came under Feith's supervision.'

    http://www.antiwar.com/barry/?articleid=3545

    'Feith's office not only housed the Office of Special Plans and other special intelligence operations associated with the Near East and South Asia (NESA) office and the Office of Northern Gulf Affairs but also the office of Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence Stephen Cambone, who directed military policy on interrogations of the Guantanamo Bay detainees and then arranged for the transfer of the base's commanding officer, Maj. General Geoffrey Miller, to the Abu Ghraib prison in an effort to extract more information from Iraqi prisoners.'


  21. GeeDubs Says:

    I saw the little toady on the show...no remorse...no sense that what he wrought in Iraq really IS on his shoulders. This is a typical example of being a policy wonk - thinking great thoughts - with absolutely no sense of the implications in the real world. By all means, Doug, write down the possible bad ramifications of your decisions, but go ahead and take those decisions anyway even if the weight of the bad ones totally trumps any good that would come out of it. There is no good when people die.


  22. Marie Says:

    I saw this jerk on 60 Minutes last night - disgusting turd. They cannot, do not accept any responsibility for their crimes or their tactics which have been entirely, completely and totally immoral, illegal, unethical and wrong.
    I don't even know if he's lying or if he is that deeply in love with himself and his ideas that he just can't see his errors.
    In either case, incompetence or ignorance, deliberate or as a result, he should be held accountable in a high court for all the world to see him tried, convicted and sentenced.


  23. impeachcheneythenbush Says:

    Feith declared, on this show, that the "weapons of mass destruction" were never the real reason for the invasion of Iraq, but it was purely a "preventative" war because Saddam had weapons programs or the knowledge to build/continue weapons programs. By this reasoning, the logical outcome is that attacking any other country with any level of information of knowledge of weapons programs is fair game. While he didn't say that, the precedent is applicable, that is, is would also be "fair game" to attack even our current allies. England, France, Pakistan, Israel and so on. Indeed, they all have this same knowledge and ability.


  24. GeeDubs Says:

    Make him go to Iraq as a soldier...and not one of those highly paid Blackwater creeps.


  25. GeeDubs Says:

    Impeach, it's called 'thought crime.'


  26. Freedom Rebel Says:

    mary Says:
    April 7th, 2008 at 4:05 pm

    I agree, it's called Blame-Storming


  27. rjpape Says:

    I do have to give some credit to Steve Kroft. Contrary to so many journalists these days, he actually did a bit of grilling last night. I was Tivo-ing the program, and I thought of going back to watch the beginning because by the end it appeared that Feith was looking a bit stressed: he apppeared a bit sweaty and his hair was beginning to looked messed up. I'm hoping the this liar was realizing that his promotional campaign for his book was back-firing and he was being made to look like a bum. Right-on to Kroft for quoting General Frank and Tenet. How do guys like Feith have so much influence in major affairs like the foreign policy of the United States? I suppose my question is rhetorical since Bush's boys are all part of his good-old-boys network of loyalists.


  28. sacopenapa Says:

    It is amazing their capacity to distort reality! D. Feith is a WAR CRIMINAL. Anything stating to the contrary is a delusional statement or an outright LIE!


  29. sacopenapa Says:

    Feith need to get acquainted with International Law... A War of Agression is an International crime. Inocent people are dying because of these criminals. FREE IRAQ NOW!


  30. MapleStreet Says:

    So Feith is saying that he is smarter than "The Deciderer" ??

    Never Mind.


  31. L. Hussein Annie Says:

    Yep. It's always someone else's fault with these buffoons.

    Heh. To them, "personal responsibility" means shoving it off onto someone else.


  32. williamf Says:

    He's a war criminal and just doesn't know it yet. You can see it beginning, the construction of the Bush mafia family defense. We're right everybody else is unpatriotic. Easy to say for a slick politician and egocentric fellow human being who has never been in the military. Feith is not patriotic because he's never been in a war. If he was really patriotic he would have volunteered for this sham war and risked all like our patriots in Iraq now. His war is a war of words and smoke and mirrors. Feith is dangerous to our democracy. Feith is a fascist, which is two steps below a liberal and two feet lower than whale shit.


  33. Dreary Urbanite Says:

    As soon as the dems win all of these necons need to be declared unlawful enemy combatants. They could be making naked pyramids in gitmo with some gomer chick pointing a lighted cigarette at their weewees in less than a week.


  34. Heynow Says:

    These are the traitors to America. We can't punish them now, because the main traitor would pardon them.


  35. zuch Says:

    The finger-pointing started in earnest a couple weeks back. TFSGOTFOTP Feith is just sllllooooowwwwwww.

    Cheers,


  36. lthuedk Says:

    The roots of these hybrid socialists like Feith connect to Leo Strauss and Irving Kristol-not Adams and Jefferson.

    http://www.light-to-dark.com/birth_of_irving.html

    Neo Conservatism is immiscible in a democracy and forcing it upon the People by subversion should be regarded as an act of treason.


  37. Max-1 Says:

    .

    Rub a dub dub,
    NeoCons in a tub,
    Do-Wei, Cheetham, and How.
    Watch them paddle,
    In circles they battle,
    Where are they going now?

    So,
    Why is Feith allowed to teach at Georgetown University?

    .


  38. Max-1 Says:

    #36 lthuedk Says:
    April 7th, 2008 at 9:36 pm
    The roots of these hybrid socialists like Feith connect to Leo Strauss and Irving Kristol

    Socialism IS NOT what they are a hybrid of but instead they exist on the other end of the spectrum, FASCISTS and FASCISM.


  39. Max-1 Says:

    #31 L. Hussein Annie Says:
    April 7th, 2008 at 6:36 pm

    No doubt!
    They take personal responsibility in shunning ANY responsibility.


  40. Jackie Says:

    Doug is a poor liar. Now everyone is writing a book and blaming others for the crimes they committed. Doug is guilty he's says he's giving away all the money from the book to the Vets. Now can you really pay your way out of guilt?


  41. Robt Says:

    Here is a guy that will take responsibility for his actions.

    It just didn't work out like my ideology said it would.

    The size of an inflated ego that thinks his thoughts and orders would be perfect if only the hired help carried out his directives to the letter.

    He's perfect and everyone else is faulty......

    He should be in prison...................


  42. MiMiCcs Says:

    We already lost it back to the British, we are nothing more than a crypto-British commonwealth nation today. What's happening now is they are giving parts of it away and selling off the rest. Welcome to one world government, it's been fun so far, and there is more fun to come.

    Didn't happen overnight, its been in the works for 125 years. Those on the right saw it coming, but as a left wing commie conspiracy. Those on the left today, see it as a right wing fascist conspiracy. It was neither, it was a British conspiracy for one world government. Religion was a useful tool, they hate faith based religions of Judeaism, Christinaity and Islam, and seek to replace it with a reason based religion that worships Lucifer, the god of knowledge, reason and science.

    Started with Cecil Rhodes Round Table Group and Communism according to Karl Marx, then they established the Fed in 1913 and infiltrated the Scottish Rite Masons, founded by Tory loyalists in 1801. The next step was the CFR in 1921. The global bank was set up in 1930 in Basel, owned by JP Morgan and others who own the Fed, and they stole a lot of our gold when we went off the Gold standard in 1933 following the manufactured global depression, and it was confiscated from the people, but the big banks sent theirs to Switzerland. This is at the same time they published the Human Manifesto I, in 1930, the first draft of the new reason based religion, worshipping Lucifer, although they do not say so outright, for obvious reasons.

    The last stage, after numerous wars, assassinations and unrest, was the establishment of the Petro-dollar in 1973, at the same time as the Trilateral Commission was established, and the release of the Human Manifesto II. Then the first Declaration of Interdependence was drafted. Soon thereafter, Free Trade, neoliberal economics and Globalization talk started, sold by their propaganda machine, and our jobs and productive economy were shipped to the Far East.

    The Fairness doctrine was repealed in 1986, allowing for control of the MSM as today only 6 companies control 80% of the news. So most reading this will not comprehend what I say as they have been brainwashed, and their thinking corrupted by chemicals put in the food, water, drugs and vaccines, starting from childhood. Over 8 million children are on drug ADD, a disease that never existed 30 years ago, we used to call it kids being kids, a bit hyperactive, and most grew out of it, now we drug them.

    Basel I was adopted in 1988, followed by Daddy Bushs New World Order speech on September 11, 1989.
    The 2000 version of the Manifesto was adapted, preaching responsibilities were as important as rights, in a new globalized world where the UN would have control over functions sovereign nations control today and a tax on the devloped world to subsidize the developing world.

    After the 9/11 event, what follows is well known or should be, and Basel II kicked in in 2008, setting the stage for the global economic collapse that will require a global currency and a global tax, think carbon tax.

    There will certainly be a World War to implement the program, since the NWO will call for significant population reduction to protect mother earth, and some nations might needs some convincing. It may be nuclear war, perhaps a nuclear attack on one of our cities will be the trigger, done by the same people who did 9/11. Famine and Disease are other ways to reduce population, but only from those of the inferior races.

    Then comes the end of faith based religions and a new Dark Ages will ensue. Science, Knowledge and Reason will ensure the elites domination and control of the Dumbed Down Working Class. If you don't work, you don't eat, same as in Stalins days. Life will be similar to Orwells 1984, maybe a little better, maybe a little worse. Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely, so it is probably going to be worse. Orwell was simply floating a trial balloon, a vision from those conspiring to bring us a NWO, to gage reaction from those outside the conspiracy. He died under suspicous circumstances shortly after it was published, and Orwell was not his real name.

    Thats my message for those still asleep, and hoping for change. I hope I am wrong, but I think the game is over.
    For those who do not believe in conspiracies, remember who is telling you they should not be believed. If you do not know, then stay asleep, and may you have pleasant dreams.


  43. The Shadow Says:

    This guy is slime. He is nothing more than a COWARD who started a war because he wanted to say he fought one. I guarantee he isn't brave at all. Only cowards start a fight and then deny they started it. This little girl needs to stop crying and shut up. Actually it's an insult to little girls for me to call him one, I take that back. Mr. feith is a low down, no good, ugly, little man, and I do mean "little". History will see him for exactly what he is, "NOTHING".


  44. ctcadguy Says:

    God has a special place for fascists.


  45. batteries Says:

    In a speech at the National World War I Museum here this morning, McCain gave a relatively optimistic appraisal of the situation in Iraq, saying that the recent reductions in violence have returned the country to something “approaching normal political and economic life for the average Iraqi.”

    “Political reconciliation is occurring across Iraq at the local, provincial, grassroots level,” McCain said. “Sunni and Shi’a chased from their homes by terrorist and sectarian violence are returning. The ‘Sons of Iraq’ and Awakening movements, where former Sunni insurgents toshiba p30 battery,toshiba a70 battery have now joined in the fight against Al Qaeda, continue to grow.”



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