Feith Claims His Memoir Is Not A ‘Blame Laying And Finger-Pointing Book’
Feith Claims His Memoir Is Not A ‘Blame Laying And Finger-Pointing Book’
News reports have described Iraq war architect Douglas Feith’s new book “War and Decision” as a score-settling account in which Feith “assails” his former colleagues for mishandling the run-up to the invasion of Iraq.
But during a discussion of the book at the conservative Hudson Institute today, Feith argued that the book is not a “blame-laying and finger-pointing book”:
FEITH: I was conscious of that when I wrote the book. And I went out of my way to write a book that I do not believe that anybody who actually bothers to read even just substantial piece of it, would find is a blame-laying and finger-pointing book.
Watch it:
In fact, in the book and while promoting it, Feith has done nothing but blame others for the war’s failures. Indeed, at a similar event recently, the Washington Post’s Dana Milbank got the impression that according to Feith, the “Iraq war is everyone else’s fault.” Some examples from the book:
– Feith blamed former Iraq occupation governor L. Paul Bremer for “mishandling…the political transition” in Iraq and the general policy of “setting up an occupation government.”
– Feith blamed former Secretary of State Colin Powell for not strongly opposing the war within the administration before the initial invasion, despite “downplay[ing]” the supposed Iraqi threat. But Feith also attacked Powell for not “wholeheartedly support[ing] it” once the war started.
– Feith accused the CIA of “politicizing” intelligence by ignoring Saddam’s ties to international terrorists despite the fact that the Pentagon’s inspector general called Feith’s own efforts to conjure up such a link — through his “Office of Special Plans” — “inapropriate.”
Bremer noted recently that the Iraq war architects are “running away from their building” and as Milbank said of Feith’s version of Iraq war history: “It must have been very difficult being Doug Feith: correct all the time, and surrounded by idiots.”
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Feith Claims His Memoir Is Not A ‘Blame Laying And Finger-Pointing Book’
You're correct (for once) , Dougie Howser Feith ; it's a "I Didn't Do It/Had Nothing To Do With It" book.........
April 28th, 2008 at 3:17 pmFeith Claims His Memoir Is Not A ‘Blame Laying And Finger-Pointing Book’
April 28th, 2008 at 3:20 pmWell... that is something I will not check if he is not telling the truth again. I'm not buying this WAR CRIMINAL's book, not even as toilet paper!
Every day, with every press conference, Dougie Feith makes Tommy Franks look smarter and smarter.
And that, my friends, is no easy task to undertake, much less complete.
April 28th, 2008 at 3:25 pmI am sorely reminded of the Simpson's episode, in which Bart becomes famous for coining the line
"I didn't do it!"
Except that was funny. Faith is just pathetic.
April 28th, 2008 at 3:26 pmAnd a war criminal.
who actually bothers to read
There's the kicker - a limited, totally vapid audience.
April 28th, 2008 at 3:26 pmfeith off
April 28th, 2008 at 3:32 pmYeah? Well, I can call my comic book "War and Peace" - but that don't make it so.
April 28th, 2008 at 3:33 pmVoR - is there anything you WOULDN'T defend?
Jeez.
April 28th, 2008 at 3:33 pmVoice_of_Reason Says:
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I cannot judge it until I have read it. How many of you that are trashing this book have actually read it?
April 28th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
How many of you Chimpy leg humping morons have actually read anything truly occurring in Iraq , as opposed to watching and/or reading intentional propogandist crap about it , skid mark ?
April 28th, 2008 at 3:33 pmVOR - why on earth would I 1) want to subject myself to that utter crap and 2) put money in that idiot's pocket...?
Are you stupid?
Oh, never mind. That was a rhetorical question.
April 28th, 2008 at 3:34 pmI have absolutely no intention of reading his book.
April 28th, 2008 at 3:34 pmI haven't read the stupid book and I have no intention of doing so.
I did hear this jerk Feith speak on NPR and all he did was point the finger at anyone he could think of. It was pathetic.
April 28th, 2008 at 3:34 pmWhat are you advertising, Mr. Filth? You've set out on your grand vision of being a NY times best seller and cashing in on wrongdoing -- an egotist's dream. You and your ilk can go to hell.
April 28th, 2008 at 3:35 pmI'm sure that a thorough study of the book will not reveal the word "blame" and there will not be one single photo of Feith pointing a finger at anyone.
Just because some individuals have, as Feith so eloquently insisted, "read even just a substantial piece of" his book and have found there numerous comments finding fault in others' actions does not negate my first paragraph.
April 28th, 2008 at 3:38 pmIgnoranceIsNotBliss Says:
I have absolutely no intention of reading his book.
Interesting...it kind of reminds me of the Fox News thread earlier - if it doesn't jive with your viewpoint, you don't want to hear about it. That is not the sole purview of conservatives, I see.
Not that I intend to read the book either, mind you.
April 28th, 2008 at 3:39 pmmary Says:
VoR - is there anything you WOULDN’T defend?
I'm sure there are plenty of things this putrid propaganda peddler won't defend. I'm sure he wouldn't defend any action taken by a Democrat, for example, unless it meshed perfectly with the administration's unholy agenda. I'm sure he wouldn't defend any investigation of contract fraud committed by Republican cronies. And we know he won't defend habeas corpus. In fact, I doubt there is any aspect of the rule of law that this person will defend, unless it somehow furthers the political agenda of the Bush administration. His single-minded devotion is to defend the policies of the Bush administration and its Neocon operatives at the Pentagon.
April 28th, 2008 at 3:43 pmKeltoi Says:
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IgnoranceIsNotBliss Says:
I have absolutely no intention of reading his book.
Interesting…it kind of reminds me of the Fox News thread earlier - if it doesn’t jive with your viewpoint, you don’t want to hear about it. That is not the sole purview of conservatives, I see.
Not that I intend to read the book either, mind you.
April 28th, 2008 at 3:39 pm
When someone engages in repetitious behavior , like yourself or FAUX Comedy Channel or Feith , what is there to 'learn' or garner from empowering them even more , be it financially or what have you ?
April 28th, 2008 at 3:43 pmKeltoi - making an informed decision not to read a book by an author with whom you are familiar, as in being subjected to Feith's BS, is not "if it doesn’t jive with your viewpoint, you don’t want to hear about it."
On the contrary. Why are you defending that pathetic apologist for the Iraqi Genocide?
April 28th, 2008 at 3:43 pma score-settling account in which Feith “assails” his former colleagues for mishandling the run-up to the invasion of Iraq.
Interesting word 'assails'.
how about "We'd like to watch as his assails into his prison cell"?
April 28th, 2008 at 3:45 pmI remember when the GOP trumpeted themselves as the party of personal responsibilty. Feith must not have been cc'd on that memo.
April 28th, 2008 at 3:49 pmFeith already sold this country his war. I'm sure not going to buy his literary lies.
April 28th, 2008 at 3:49 pmAs for reading Feith's book, we don't need to. We have heard and read Feith's propaganda, lies, and absurdities for years now. We have heard from credible sources that the content of Feith's book offers nothing new. We have heard from Feith, in his own words, a defense of the book that is contradicted by excerpts taken directly from the book.
But perhaps the most overused rhetorical trick from the bag of VoR and all the other propagandists is the claim that unless we know everything, we know nothing. Just as we cannot be sure that global warming is happening, or that tobacco causes lung cancer, we cannot really be sure that Feith is lying when he says he isn't trying to foist blame on others for the disastrous war. No mountain of evidence is ever high enough to prove anything that makes the Bush administration or its lackeys look bad.
April 28th, 2008 at 3:49 pm"...a discussion of the book at the conservative Hudson Institute today..."
- - Kate or Ernie?
April 28th, 2008 at 3:51 pm“…a discussion of the book at the conservative Hudson Institute today…”
- - Kate or Ernie?
Rock.
April 28th, 2008 at 3:53 pmBadmoodman Says:
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“…a discussion of the book at the conservative Hudson Institute today…”
- - Kate or Ernie?
April 28th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
Bay
April 28th, 2008 at 3:53 pmenough of this arsehole already!
April 28th, 2008 at 3:54 pmSSAA = Same Sh** Alternative A**hole
April 28th, 2008 at 3:55 pmFrom a strictly neocon/imperialist point of view , ya they did screw up the invasion and occupation, but if you believe in human rights , that countries shouldn't be invaded for oil , that a foreign power shouldn't be putting people in another country in prison , because the are resisting U.S. occupation , you don't concern yourself with military strategies , that are there for only one purpose, to make the occupation of Iraq a success , the way the complicit main stream media frames the issue .
April 28th, 2008 at 4:00 pmI.E. "not enough troops " sure like saying you didn't use enough force while conducting a Home Invasion . Tactically you are correct , morally you are complicit and a war criminal .
In the Hague , judges will not concern themselves with whether or not Colin " never opposed a war on brown people " powell , didn't recommend the proper strategy , same with the rest of the not indicted war criminals .
NeoCon blaming others, I am soooo shocked, I tell you shocked....what an idiot.
April 28th, 2008 at 4:00 pmI feel no need to read the excuses of one of the architects of the greatest American foreign policy debacle in history. Having had a near monopoly on public discourse in 2002-03 while the cowards in Congress and the media unquestioningly swallowed every lie told by an administration determined to wage a needless and counterproductive war, Feith, Rummy, Cheney and the rest of the warmongers do not deserve and will not receive another minute of my attention. Should Feith wish to atone for his sins that is one thing -- self immolation would be appropriate. Unless he shows up to the interview covered in gasoline holding a match however, I am no longer listening.
April 28th, 2008 at 4:01 pmvoice of reason...
April 28th, 2008 at 4:04 pmI'm not interested in reading a War Criminal's account of 'How he didn't have anything to do with it'. He is a WAR CRIMINAL! I would be very interested in reading every single word of his testemony under oath at HAGUE! And if he ever gets Justice, I mean, executed for WAR CRIMES, I'll photocopy the tribunal's findings and final decisions and frame it with a golden frame.
Is it a comic book?
A pop-up book?
A cook book?
A note book?
No? Then it very likely is a fingerpointing book. Let's face it, this guy can't get anything right.
April 28th, 2008 at 4:04 pmif Feith is going to immolate himself, I will gladly supply the lighter. the only question is- will he use Iraqi oil for his BBQ?
April 28th, 2008 at 4:11 pmYou keep trying kelroi.....you will probably never make it but keep trying anyway. Guess you think we neeeed to read mein kampf after the fact to know that Hitler was a facist too. What makes you think anyone cares what feith says about anything.....historically proven to be a liar.
April 28th, 2008 at 4:13 pmDon't talk about "mistakes, errors, mishandling, failures, etc.". These neocons accomplished exactly what they wanted to accomplish: the invasion and occupation of Iraq, the #2 oil reserves in the world and smack in between #1 and #3. They accomplished this against tremendous odds: everything they said was a known lie (not "later found to be untrue"). There were 935 recorded lies.
"Feith blamed former Secretary of State Colin Powell for not strongly opposing the war..."!?! Give me a freaking break!
April 28th, 2008 at 4:18 pmFred Says:
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Keltoi Says:
Interesting…it kind of reminds me of the Fox News thread earlier - if it doesn’t jive with your viewpoint, you don’t want to hear about it. That is not the sole purview of conservatives, I see.
You keep trying kelroi…..you will probably never make it but keep trying anyway. Guess you think we neeeed to read mein kampf after the fact to know that Hitler was a facist too. What makes you think anyone cares what feith says about anything…..historically proven to be a liar.
April 28th, 2008 at 4:13 pm
See , it is precisely these types of moronic posts while believing he's clever that make Kelt Boy one of the more repugnant and repulsive nitwits here at TP.
Is everyone's tuning out of Chimpy the Wonder Monkey , outside of the retarded 19% GOP base like Kelt Boy , due to the "lack of jiving with a particular viewpoint" , too , as opposed to 7+ years of incompetence , dishonesty and stupidity ?
April 28th, 2008 at 4:21 pmFeith is a war criminal and should be executed.
April 28th, 2008 at 4:31 pmIgnoranceIsNotBliss Says:
I have absolutely no intention of reading his book.
Keltoi Says:
Interesting…it kind of reminds me of the Fox News thread earlier - if it doesn’t jive with your viewpoint, you don’t want to hear about it. That is not the sole purview of conservatives, I see.
Not that I intend to read the book either, mind you.
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Bullshit. I have no problem having a civil conversation with anyone whether they have the same viewpoint as I do or not.
The reason I will not buy his book is because Spencer Ackerman (among others) has done a pretty good job at exposing Feith for the finger-pointing blame-layer that he is professing not to be.
Why would I want to give my hard earned money to not only a guy that was an artichect in the quagmire that is the "Great War On Terror" but has been shown to be a liar as well?
And I didn't have anything to say about Fox News in that thread. You need to go back and take a look for yourself before you attack me with this kind of crap. But I will say for the record that Fox News is not allowed in my house simply because I find their brand of "news" to be nothing more than facist propaganda. It is not worthy to be called "News".
April 28th, 2008 at 4:37 pmTP, how about you stop covering this a$$hat and start covering the presidential race. This is probably the fifth article I have read on Feith this month. It's pretty much Feith & McCain here. I go to several other sites and none of them even mention this idiot. Why? Because he is not news.
April 28th, 2008 at 4:40 pmKeltoi Says:
Interesting…it kind of reminds me of the Fox News thread earlier - if it doesn’t jive with your viewpoint, you don’t want to hear about it. That is not the sole purview of conservatives, I see.
This is an attempt by Feith to generate controversy, and sell more books, nothing more. See how easily you're distracted from seeing the truth?
April 28th, 2008 at 4:41 pmKeltoi Says:
Interesting…it kind of reminds me of the Fox News thread earlier - if it doesn’t jive with your viewpoint, you don’t want to hear about it. That is not the sole purview of conservatives, I see.
I don't agree with Keltoi, but I know he is a good blogger. That said, I also know he is smart enough to imagine that those here at TP lived through the entire debacle. We watched it frame for frame, live and in color. Why on earth would we want to spend our money on a book by a chief architect of the huge failure?
Keltoi: We don't read the books of neocons who have had a change of heart. If Feith had been an honest broker of the facts and the law from the start, his book might generate a little more attention from us. Neocons have been caught in their lies and their deceptions. Writing a book trying to explain the destruction of our beloved country is not high on my hit parade. Nor should it be high on yours either.
April 28th, 2008 at 4:43 pmIf you equate the kid who had no friends and had to hang out on the fringe of the cool kids and make stupid remarks until someone kicked his ass and instead of learning anthing from it came back for more a good blogger.
He'd probably eat a bug if you would pay him some attention.
April 28th, 2008 at 4:51 pmBremer noted recently that the Iraq war architects are “running away from their building”
Bremer - like in Paul Bremer? If so, that dude wasn't an architect but he's been busy blaming everybody except himself for the policies that HE HIMSELF apparently decided upon when Proconsul in Iraq...like disbanding the military and debathification of the ministries. It was "approved by everybody else and he just carried it out."
April 28th, 2008 at 4:53 pmActually it is a cover your ass pamphlet.
April 28th, 2008 at 5:13 pmYeah, there were no Nazis in Germany after they surrendered. Remember?
Soon there will be no neoncons left in Iraq, either.
April 28th, 2008 at 5:21 pmI have read it. He does indeed go to ridiculous lengths pointing fingers at everyone else. Especially noteworthy is when he blames people and institutions for taking positions which turned out to be right. He criticizes the CIA for early on after 9/11 opining that Al Qa'ida was behind the attack and not Saddam. How dare they! OK, they might have been right, but they shouldn't have been right so early. Then he attacks Powell and Armitage for not jumping in and fixing the mess in Turkey that Feith's friend Wolfowitz caused -- in part by cutting the State Department out of their normal role.
For those of you torn about not wanting to buy this guy's book, but who want to assure yourselves that it is as stupid as others have said -- go to the library. If you find his arguments convincing -- take that money you saved not buying the book and use it for some medical treatments.
April 28th, 2008 at 5:32 pmThere comes a point when ANY pathological liar will simply be ignored or held in contempt. The entire Bush Administration passed that threshold long ago.
April 28th, 2008 at 5:37 pmYou know how some people look like talking thumbs- Feith looks like a talking sixth toe.
April 28th, 2008 at 7:06 pmKilo says: I think you’ll find that the readership here not being able to restrain themselves from rushing out to purchase non-fiction titles isn’t a big problem.
You had me up until the "non-fiction" part.
April 28th, 2008 at 10:56 pmFeith doesn't even realize that he's simply digging himself in deeper and only contradicting himself even further with this latest gem. It apparently wasn't enough for him to deny all involvement in the War In Iraq...now he's denying that he's denying involvement! Whaddaya wanna bet that his next move will be to deny that he denied that he denied involvement (ad infinitum, ad nauseum)?
Ya can try to run all ya like, Feith...but the truth is catching up with ya. A lie may be a sprinter which gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to put its pants on (to quote Churchill) -- but the truth is an experienced marathon runner and it usually overtakes the lies in the end.
April 29th, 2008 at 11:13 am