LA Times: Perle says he should not have backed Iraq war

[IDemo]

By Peter Spiegel, Times Staff Writer
November 4, 2006

WASHINGTON — Richard N. Perle, the former Pentagon advisor regarded as the intellectual godfather of the Iraq war, now believes he should not have backed the U.S.-led invasion, and he holds President Bush responsible for failing to make timely decisions to stem the rising violence, according to excerpts from a magazine interview.

Perle — a leading neoconservative who chaired the Pentagon's defense advisory board for the first three years of the Bush administration — is quoted in January's Vanity Fair as saying the U.S. might have been able to strip Saddam Hussein of his ability to build unconventional weapons "by means other than a direct military intervention."

"I think if I had been Delphic, and had seen where we are today, and people had said 'Should we go into Iraq?' I think now I probably would have said, 'No, let's consider other strategies for dealing with the thing that concerns us most, which is Saddam supplying weapons of mass destruction to terrorists,' " Perle said, according to interview excerpts released Friday by the magazine.

Perle's about-face is the latest in a series of war recriminations by neoconservatives, many of whom blame Iraq's spiraling violence on the administration's management of the postwar stabilization effort.

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-neocons4nov04,1,3462318.story?coll=la-news-a_section

[MannyGoldstein]

1. Rats... Ships... n/t

[gully]

47. Jump .... drown

:evilgrin:

[acmavm]

2. Forget it Richard. There is still a docket page at the Hague

with your name on it. Along with the rest of the neocons.

[No Exit]

64. "Dammit! We should've invaded IRAN first, and Iraq second!"

That's probably the only misgiving this neocon murderer ever had!

So, hey, Rich, hindsight is 20/20. So, like, YOU had a better strategy for "securing the Realm" (and I DON'T mean the U.S. "realm")? Yeah, right!

[mike_c]

3. he still seems unwilling to admit the most fundamental truth of all....

Saddam Hussein did not have any weapons of mass destruction to give anyone. There was no "problem" to solve in Iraq.

[aquart]

18. No, the fundamental truth was that we invaded a sovereign nation

Which had NOT attacked us.

He is still okay with that. He thinks the execution was wrong but the idea was just dandy.

He will never understand that there WAS NO OTHER POSSIBLE OUTCOME. If we had built a million nifty schools, they would have blown up a million nifty schools. He doesn't understand why people don't like foreign invaders.

[Julius Civitatus]

65. Also, PERLE himself INSTIGATED this war!!!

Perle was, since the 1997 PNAC declaration, one of the initial architects and instigators of this war. This is HIS war. This is part of his own doing.

Now that the shot hit the fan in a disastrous way, Perle is trying to abandon ship and salvage some of what's left of his reputation. DON'T LET HIM! People should ALWAYS remind this bastard that this is HIS war. This is the war HE and his PNAC cabal architected. This is his doing.

He's trying to sneak out of this mess. Too fucking late!

[gratuitous]

4. Oh please, spare me the crocodile tears

What manner of bullshit do we have here? "If I had been Delphic, and had seen where we are today." You fucking bloodthirsty, greedy asshole! You had millions of people telling you exactly where the road you were on was headed. And your response was an indulgent chuckle, and a dismissive, airy wave of your grasping little hand.

The problem wasn't the management of your lunatic policy; it was the policy itself.

[cliss]

22. That's exactly it.

The problem wasn't the management of the lunatic policy, it was the Policy itself.

THAT's the Problem. They still don't get it.

[arewenotdemo]

42. precisely!

as always, grats.


:kick:

[AliceWonderland]

50. Good point - Perle speaks as if no one foresaw these events

Plenty did, and said that a violent spiral of factional conflict would occur if Iraq were invaded and its leader deposed by force. Plenty said that if one's goals are social justice and human rights, war, invasion and increased instability were not the way to achieve them.

Spare me the "delphic" crap, which implies that this situation was unthinkable.

[Whoa_Nelly]

5. Eat shit, Perle

You helped make this horror happen. You cannot disassociate yourself from it now or ever.

Do the frog march, Perle. I hope your day in court comes soon.

[chaumont58]

6. The Master of the Obvious

The neocons and the beltway whores have blood on their hands. He can say he is sorry and he wouldn't do it again, but that won't bring back one dead soldier or one dead Iraqi. Fuck him and the horse he rode in on. The son of a bitch ought to have to spend the rest of his life as a servant for a gold star mother.

[ShockediSay]

7. Guess it didn't work out the way Israel wanted it - Perle reportedly

had ties to the Israel Lobby as did a number of NeoCons, both Goyim and Jewish

Come to think of it, neither did the hizbollah thing work out well for them

[Tin Man]

34. Yep, it's criminal how this Admin has directed the US military to serve as proxy for Israel

Under Bush, US foreign policy has become more fucked-up than ever... it will probably take decades to restore a modicum of credibility again.

[grytpype]

8. "Delphic?" DELPHIC??????

It did not take powers of prophesy to know how Iraq was going to turn out. I knew and I am not Delphic.

[Justitia]

27. I guess that makes us - DELPHIC UNDERGROUND, huh?

Because we all knew their Iraq Adventure was FUBAR'd from the first glint in their beady little eyes.

[NanceGreggs]

9. ATTENTION ALL NEOCONS ...

... YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE.

The last lifeboat has already been launched. It is too late to distance yourselves from the iceberg you yourselves created.

Would anyone like to join in a rousing rendition of "Nearer My God to Thee" before the waters overtake you?

Class? Anyone?

Perle?

Frum?

Adelman?

Bueller?

[bluedeminredstate]

15. LOL!

The mental picture your post evokes...

:rofl:

[leftchick]

24. "say it isn't so Ms. Greggs"

"Please tell me there is still time to redeem my wretched soul?"



:rofl:

[NanceGreggs]

25. Of all of the PNAC boys ...

... HE'S the one who gives me the booboo-geebees most of all. There isn't an ounce of that man that doesn't excude back-stabbing sliminess - but I guess that's what his buddy George is just finding out for himself.

[ShortnFiery]

46. Saint Peter isn't even going to wait for the elevator doors to open

when Perle appears before the Pearly Gates. Saint Peter will PRE-EMPTIVELY press the "DOWN" button. ;) Pearle is too evil for even an Angel of God to cast his eyes upon.

IMO, perle's pure evil. :scared:

[WestHoustonDem]

10. Too little too late

[Warren Stupidity]

11. 650,000 Iraqis raise their dead middle fingers at Perle.

Too late for that Dicky. You fucked up big time and you have blood all over your hands and no amount of mea culpa scrubbing is going to get them clean.

[leesa]

12. A new Pearl Harbor will convince them it's the right thing to do...isn't that

how it went, Mr Perle?

[Theduckno2]

13. I find some small measure of relief...

...in the thought that when that little Simon Bar Sinister is out in public he sees all those eyes of his accusers staring at him relentlessly.

No amount of second guessing or apologizing will save you, you soft-spoken merchant of death.

A sentence of twenty to life at the Hague would be a good start though.

I must admit to a bit of schadenfreude in watching the political life of George Bush being thrown under a bus.

[IDemo]

14. Isn't there a fundamental difference between 'backing' the war, vs. fronting it?

"intellectual godfather of the Iraq war" doesn't sound like just another 'yes' vote in the oval office..

[driver8]

16. Fuck you, Perle...you are a war criminal just like the rest of them.

See you at the Hague...

[UTUSN]

17. So just about all of here at DU were/are "Delphic".

And we are Delphic withOUT any special intel resources. PERLE and the whole Shrub crew need a Nuremberg trial----ALL of 'em, with full consequences.

[Barrett808]

19. "I'm getting damn tired of being described as an architect of the war"

"I'm getting damn tired of being described as an architect of the war. I was in favor of bringing down Saddam. Nobody said, 'Go design the campaign to do that.' I had no responsibility for that."

[OKIsItJustMe]

20. Vanity Fair Exclusive: Now They Tell Us

http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2006/12/neocons200612?currentPage=2

Vanity Fair Exclusive: Now They Tell Us

Kenneth Adelman, a lifelong neocon activist and Pentagon insider who served on the Defense Policy Board until 2005, wrote a famous op-ed article in The Washington Post in February 2002, arguing: "I believe demolishing Hussein's military power and liberating Iraq would be a cakewalk." Now he says, "I just presumed that what I considered to be the most competent national-security team since Truman was indeed going to be competent. They turned out to be among the most incompetent teams in the post-war era. Not only did each of them, individually, have enormous flaws, but together they were deadly, dysfunctional."

...

I spend the better part of two weeks in conversations with some of the most respected voices among the neoconservative elite. What I discover is that none of them is optimistic. All of them have regrets, not only about what has happened but also, in many cases, about the roles they played. Their dismay extends beyond the tactical issues of whether America did right or wrong, to the underlying question of whether exporting democracy is something America knows how to do.

I will present my findings in full in the January issue of Vanity Fair, which will reach newsstands in New York and L.A. on December 6 and nationally by December 12. In the meantime, here is a brief survey of some of what I heard from the war's remorseful proponents.

...

[Justitia]

28. They're passing the buck quicker than Wm Bennett at a blackjack table! -eom

[arewenotdemo]

43. love that phrase: "exporting democracy"

None of the war criminals were in it for whatever the hell that is supposed to mean.

[IndyBob]

61. "exporting democracy"

When I first skimmed the article, I thought it said "exploiting democracy". That's the one thing Bushco. Inc. has done very well, exploiting OUR democracy!

[lyonn]

52. Sounds like the strong possibility of the Dems getting subpoena

power has got them covering their rears and scampering for cover. Hee hee!

[CentralEuropeanDude]

21. War of Aggression. Supreme Crime. The Hague. nt

[struggle4progress]

23. The Prince of Darkness Explains Iraq (Corn 2002)

... Forget the 250,000 figure, Perle said: "The Army guys don't know anything. They said we needed 500,000 troops in 1991 . Did we need that many to win? No."

What's the Perle Plan? I asked.

"Forty thousand troops." he said ...

http://www.alternet.org/story/13098/

[arewenotdemo]

44. incredible article...thanx for the link!

[oblivious]

45. LOL. Using Perle's own definition of 'unstable' he himself is unstable.

Ritter, Perle huffed, is "unstable."

Low blow, I said.

Perle claimed he does not call everyone with whom he disagrees "unstable." But, he said, this was an appropriate term for a fellow who had changed his position 180 degrees.

[Justitia]

26. Can you believe the chutzpah of this shyster????

Hey, Nosferatu, we aren't as stupid as your minions in the White House.

[teryang]

29. This traitor should be indicted

Rose petals, indeed. Better yet, rendition and torture would more fitting.

[Name removed]

30. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[oblivious]

32. As always, thank you for that interesting perspective.

[dkofos]

31. Back it?? It was your idea

Off to the Hague with you

[SoCalDem]

33. Isn't that special? The families of dead soldiers are probably relieved.

NOT!!!

[goforit]

35. Buuuulllll ShiiiiT. Pearle, Cheney, Crystal, Wolfowitz and Poppy are murderers

And yah even failed at this!!!!

[Alhena]

36. These guys are the Himmler and Goering of the Iraq War

as the Third Reich was collpsing, Himmler and Goering both tried to save their necks and cut a deal with the allies. That's who these swine remind me of.

Cheney and Rumsfeld are more like Goebbels and Keitel- equally despicable in their evil nature, but at least they are still on the sinking ship. I grudgingly have a tiny bit more respect for Cheney and Rumsfeld for this reason.

By the way, read the link on my sig- it's a letter from Perle and others way back in 1998 trying to sell Clinton on this harebrained war. He finally gets his war and now he wants to deny responsibilty.

[oblivious]

37. This is EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. They want to latch on to the Democrats.

Yes, rats leaving a sinking ship, but doing it before the election gives them reason to say they helped the Dems win and therefore deserve a voice in the new order of things.

[oblivious]

38. Richard Perle, Kenneth Adelman, Michael Rubin, David Frum all recanting.

[struggle4progress]

51. Not recanting so much as pointing fingers to avoid their share of the blame

[wholetruth00]

54. All neocon war criminals who should be tried for war crimes along with

the Bush cabinet.

[NashVegas]

39. Aye, I Just Told Someone

They're taking the Johnny Bravo suit back to the cleaners, to get it ready for their next pick.

[Zorra]

57. They want to latch on like HIV. n/t

[rpannier]

40. F**K YOU perle

Another neo-con trying to save his own ass.

Rat meet lifeboat.

[LynnTheDem]

41. Too little, too late...

... too many dead bodies, MFer!

[lumpy]

48. Read Richard Perle's political bio

and come to your own conclusions as to how much he has influenced our government policies.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Perle

[PittPoliSci]

49. bwaaahahahaha!

it's so amazing watching the rats leave the sinking ship...

[RaRa]

53. while I echo the F*** You chorus going on here,

I do so enjoy the "he holds President Bush responsible" part. When the hell has Georgie boy EVER taken responsibility for anything bad? Nice to see one of his whores turning on him.

[oblivious]

55. PERLE - 'I WAS NOT WRONG ON IRAQ' (recants recant)

...Vanity Fair has come out with its usual election eve hit job. This time it selectively quotes leading neocons on their views respecting the war, editing their lengthy remarks to suggest dissatisfaction with the Administration and the war. Michael Rubin has already responded, as has David Frum.

Quote from Perle: ...I should have known better than to trust the editors at Vanity Fair who lied to me and to others who spoke with Mr. Rose. Moreover, in condensing and characterizing my views for their own partisan political purposes, they have distorted my opinion about the situation in Iraq and what I believe to be in the best interest of our country.

...We are on the right path.

http://americanthinker.com/comments.php?comments_id=6530

[Kenergy]

56. Duh n/t

[bikebloke]

58. BBC World Service report today

I was listening to the Beeb today and they had a report about these neocons. It seemed they were disappointed with the invasion not so much as it was wrong and illegal, but because the outcome is a disaster. But none of them said it shouldn't have been done. On the contrary. My impression is that all the juicy oil profits they were counting on for themselves haven't panned out.

[JCMach1]

59. So, the Asshats who lobbied for the attack for YEARS

decide it was a bad idea.


File this one in the :wtf: files!

[Neshanic]

60. Big fat rat jumps ship.

[Seabiscuit]

62. Nothing more than a rat deserting his ship as it goes down.

[boilinmad]

63. "But I guess....

...that me and people like William Kristol, well, we just LOVE war so much. It makes us feel so macho and powerful. I mean, we would never FIGHT in any wars, but we just LOVE to see other people die in wars. Its the ultimate rush, dont you think? And besides, whod have ever thought that our president wouldnt make all the right choices, and run this war like the brilliant man that he is, huh????".... WHAT AN ASSHOLE!!!!!

[MrPrax]

66. He is still doing propaganda...

while he is supposedly repudiating his support.

the U.S. might have been able to strip Saddam Hussein of his ability to build unconventional weapons "by means other than a direct military intervention."

concerns us most, which is Saddam supplying weapons of mass destruction to terrorists,'

he blamed disloyalty among top Bush administration officials for a failure to get the policy correct.

"Huge mistakes were made, and I want to be very clear on this: They were not made by neoconservatives, who had almost no voice in what happened, and certainly almost no voice in what happened after the downfall of the regime in Baghdad," he said.

Interesting that Perle still wants to 'catapult' the ONLY legal defense he has under international law; national security.

Also interesting that he is also fronting for the current rationale of this same administration using the same rhetoric regarding everyone from Venezuela to Iran by basically saying that it's would have been a successful strategy, if done by other people.

As a neo-con he is still promoting the 're-mapping of the middle east' based on some undocumented 'security' threat.

In fact for all we know, Perle might be lying again and actually believes what is going on in Iraq (civil war followed by partition both favoured by the Saudis and Israel as well as neo-cons) was an intended result....this is just damage control for the inevitable blowback any unpopular illegal war causes in domestic politics and the GOP base needs to see a couple of them fall on their swords. He really hasn't repudiated a single thing.

None of these interviews seem much like the 'neo culpeas' they are billed as -- if anything these read more like '08 positioning; the policy was wrong, but the threat still exists. Image Softeners

[susanna]

67. Too late, Dick. n/t

[Cleita]

68. So the rats are leaving a sinking ship, the one whose hulk they

chewed the holes in, and conveniently blaming it on the captain. It's all his fault that there are holes that are letting in the water and sinking the ship.