judge for yourselves..
Apologies - my original post implied Post told him what to say. That's not correct. A note was passed to him in order that he clarify what he originally said.
http://www.defenselink.mil/transcripts/2004/tr20040420-secdef0644.htmlsnip
Q Mr. Secretary, in his just-published book, "Plan of Attack," Bob Woodward describes a meeting on January 11th of last year in which you supposedly point to a map of the war plans for Iraq and tell Saudi Ambassador Prince Bandar, "You can count on this. You can take it to the bank. This is going to happen."
Can you give us your recollection of what happened in that meeting, which was also attended by Vice President Cheney and General Myers? And can you tell us if at that point the decision had in fact been made to go to war with Iraq?
SEC. RUMSFELD: I'll try. There was a meeting in the vice president's office of the vice president, General Myers, Ambassador Bandar and Don Rumsfeld. And I don't remember showing him any maps, myself. It may very well have been that General Myers showed him something. But it was a meeting not unlike we had with any number of neighboring countries as the buildup towards the -- to support the diplomacy, the flow of forces was taking place, we had the obligation to try to do it in the most cost-effective and responsible way, and the way that would best fit General Franks' plans, in the event that he did in fact ultimately have to go to war. That meant we had to talk to the countries in the region and work out things at ports or airfields and that type of thing.
And so the meeting did take place. General Myers may have shown him a map; I'm not certain of that, but he may have. To my knowledge, a decision had not been taken by the president to go to war at that meeting. There was certainly nothing I said that should have suggested that, and any suggestion to the contrary would not be accurate.
Q Do you remember saying, "You can take it to the bank. This is going to happen."
SEC. RUMSFELD: I don't remember saying it, to be perfectly honest. But I have said that, that phrase, in my life. But I could have said it about a dozen different things. In other words, it may have been about some discussion we'd had about an interaction with another country, a third country. It may have been about a comment that in the event the president did make such a decision, that the action would be followed through sufficiently that the regime would in fact be changed. As opposed to the implication from your question -- which I have not read the book -- that the statement might have been made in connection with a decision having been made by the president.
But my best recollection -- and I hate to use the word "certain" because no one's memory is perfect, but I can't believe the decision had been made by the president during that period. If it had been, I didn't know it had been. Therefore, I would never have said what you said somebody said I said --
Q Well -- (laughter)
SEC. RUMSFELD: -- with respect to that aspect of it, a decision having been made.
Q Mr. Woodward says that you're on the record on this point, and that he has mentioned several times that the Pentagon transcripts that are posted on the Pentagon's website will back him up. Now, I have checked those transcripts and I see no reference to this incident. However, there are two transcripts posted. Did you meet with him more than twice, do you recall?
SEC. RUMSFELD: No, I didn't.
Q You only met with him twice?
SEC. RUMSFELD: I think that's correct.
Q So those transcripts are the complete record of what you told him?
SEC. RUMSFELD: Except for where I said "ah" or "uh" or something like that -- (laughter) -- and some person transcribing might have taken that out, or where the transcription was in error.
But I just -- here I am in a meeting in the vice president's office. It is certainly not for me to communicate to someone from another country a decision by the president of the United States. That just doesn't compute.
snip
I've just been passed a note via my friend, General Pace, that goes back to the question I answered on the Woodward transcripts, where I said something to the effect that the ahs and uhs were probably deleted, and I'm advised now there is some banter -- not quite sure what that means, but -- and some discussion about a totally unrelated topic, and some items that were agreed between us to not be in there. But I can say -- that were off the record -- but I can say of certain knowledge that nothing was taken out that would naysay what I just indicated in my response to the question.
Q No 18-minute gap?
SEC. RUMSFELD: I beg your pardon.
Q No 18-minute gap? (Laughter.)
SEC. RUMSFELD: And you can take that to the bank. (Laughter.) Thank you very much.
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