Speaking at the National Press Club yesterday, CBS anchor Katie Couric “pulled back the curtain on her personal views of the war in Iraq,” stating that Americans were “misled” into invading Iraq:
“Everyone in this room would agree that people in this country were misled in terms of the rationale of this war,” said Couric, adding that it is “pretty much accepted” that the war in Iraq was a mistake.“I’ve never understood why [invading Iraq] was so high on the administration’s agenda when terrorism was going on in Afghanistan and Pakistan and that [Iraq] had no true connection with al Qaeda.” […]
Couric [criticized] “the feeling that we’d be welcomed as liberators and didn’t need to focus as much on security.” She added, “I’d feel totally comfortable saying any of that at some point, if required, on television.”
Couric’s views may come as a disappointment to conservative aides on Capitol Hill, who say that she is “our sweetheart” for her Iraq reporting. Reporting from Iraq last month, Couric aired several “puff pieces” which echoed the Bush administration’s talking points.