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CNN has reported that Brack Obama has been in contact with Brent Scowcroft. I thought it might be worth reviewing quotes from two books, which have to do with Scowcroft, and which might shed light on why President-elect Obama is in contact with him.
{1} "Brent called me when he received the article. He kindly asked if he could ‘take it over to the White House,’ only about two blocks from his downtown office. He said that he thought senior officials ought to read the views of somebody who actually had experience in Iraq and with Saddam’s government. By this, I took him to mean that he intended to share it with national security adviser, Dr. Condoleezza Rice, or her deputy, Stephen Hadley."
--Joseph Wilson; The Politics of Truth; 2004; page 296.
Early in the Bush-Cheney administration, Scowcroft told Wilson that the neoconservatives were "right-wing nuts." When it became evident that the neoconservatives, operating under the guidance of VP Cheney, were intent upon invading Iraq, Scowcroft attempted to encourage his former student, Condi Rice, to put them in check. Rice, as national security adviser to the president, was in a position that by definition should hold more influence with the president than either the VP or Secretary of Defense.
More, on August 15, 2002, Scowcroft had an article published in the Wall Street Journal, warning that a military invasion of Iraq would result in a disaster for this country. Scowcroft sought the support of James Baker III, who published a warning about a possible invasion in the Washington Post. Both men attempted to get former President Bush to talk sense to his son, George W. Bush.
{2} "Scowcroft was increasingly disappointed in the performances of those he had worked with and mentored. He considered Hadley, who had been on his NSC staff in the early 1970s, a dear friend. But Hadley would not stand up to anyone – not to Cheney or Rice, and certainly not to Rumsfeld. He wouldn’t even stand up for his own opinions.
"Even the president’s father had confided that he was unhappy with Rice. ‘Condi is a disappointment, isn’t she?’ the former president had offered, adding, ‘She’s not up to the job.’"
--Bob Woodward; State of Denial; 2006; pages 419-420.
When Bush the Elder attempted to deny making that statement after Woodward’s book was published, Scowcroft went on record saying that he absolutely had.
Conclusion: Again, as I said this morning on an OP about Senator Clinton becoming the Secretary of State, anything and everything that Barack Obama does will have both a good and bad potential. But President-elect Obama must face certain risks if he is to accomplish his goals.
Finding an end to the US war of occupation in Iraq is more likely to happen if President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are able to coordinate their efforts with republicans who have long recognized that it was a mistake to invade to begin with. Brent Scowcroft is one of the republican elders who can influence his party to work with the democratic administration.
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