R
Raymond
Guest
THE ARCHITECTS OF WAR: WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
http://www.thepigsite.com/articles/contents/05-07ARNIReducingVariability1.jpg
President Bush has not fired any of the architects of the Iraq war. In
fact, a review of the key planners of the conflict reveals that they
have been rewarded -- not blamed -- for their incompetence.
PAUL WOLFOWITZ
Role In Going To War: Wolfowitz said the U.S. would be greeted as
liberators, that Iraqi oil money would pay for the reconstruction, and
that Gen. Eric Shinseki's estimate that several hundred thousand
troops would be needed was "wildly off the mark." [Washington Post,
12/8/05; Wolfowitz, 3/27/03]
Where He Is Now: Bush promoted Wolfowitz to head the World Bank in
March 2005. Two years into his five-year term, Wolfowitz was rebuked
by the World Bank investigative committee for engineering an unethical
pay and promotion package for his girlfriend and, after repeated calls
for his resignation, stepped down on May 17, 2007. Wolfowitz is now a
visiting scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, a right-wing
think tank that "has the President's ear" on national security issues.
[Washington Post, 3/17/05, 5/18/07; Financial Times, 6/28/07]
Key Quote: "The truth is that for reasons that have a lot to do with
the U.S. government bureaucracy, we settled on the one issue that
everyone could agree on which was weapons of mass destruction as the
core reason [for going to war]." [USA Today, 5/30/03]
DOUGLAS FEITH
Role In Going To War: As Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, Feith
spearheaded two secretive groups at the Pentagon -- the Counter
Terrorism Evaluation Group and the Office of Special Plans -- that were
instrumental in drawing up documents that explained the supposed ties
between Saddam and al Qaeda. The groups were "created in order to find
evidence of what Wolfowitz and his boss, Defense Secretary Donald
Rumsfeld, believed to be true." Colin Powell referred to Feith's
operation as the Gestapo. In Bob Woodward's Plan of Attack, former
CentCom Commander Gen. Tommy Franks called Feith the "f ing
stupidest guy on the face of the earth." [LAT, 1/27/05; NYT, 4/28/04;
New Yorker, 5/12/03; Plan of Attack, p.281]
Where He Is Now: Feith voluntarily resigned from the Defense
Department shortly after Bush's reelection. He is currently writing a
memoir of his Pentagon work and teaching a course at Georgetown
University "on the Bush Administration's strategy behind the war on
terrorism." The Defense Department's Inspector General found that
Feith's secretive groups at the Pentagon "developed, produced, and
then disseminated" deceptive intelligence that contradicted "the
consensus of the Intelligence Community." These groups are still under
investigation by the Senate Intelligence Committee. [Washington Post,
1/27/05;Georgetown press release, 5/1/06; NYT, 2/9/07]
Key Quote: "I am not asserting to you that I know that the answer is --
we did it right. What I am saying is it's an extremely complex
judgment to know whether the course that we chose with its pros and
cons was more sensible." [Washington Post, 7/13/05]
STEPHEN HADLEY
Role In Going To War: As then-Deputy National Security Advisor, Hadley
disregarded memos from the CIA and a personal phone call from Director
George Tenet warning that references to Iraq's pursuit of uranium be
dropped from Bush's speeches. The false information ended up in Bush's
2003 State of the Union address. [Washington Post, 7/23/03]
Where He Is Now: On January 26, 2005, Stephen Hadley was promoted to
National Security Advisor. [White House bio]
Key Quote: "I should have recalled at the time of the State of the
Union speech that there was controversy associated with the uranium
issue. ... And it is now clear to me that I failed in that
responsibility in connection with the inclusion of these 16 words in
the speech that he gave on the 28th of January." [Hadley, 7/22/03]
RICHARD PERLE
Role In Going To War: Richard Perle, the so-called "Prince of
Darkness," was the chairman of Defense Policy Board during the run-up
to the Iraq war. He suggested Iraq had a hand in 9-11. In 1996, he
authored "Clean Break," a paper that was co-signed by Douglas Feith,
David Wurmser, and others that argued for regime change in Iraq.
Shortly after the war began, Perle resigned from the Board because he
came under fire for having relationships with businesses that stood to
profit from the war. [Guardian, 9/3/02, 3/28/03; AFP, 8/9/02]
Where He Is Now: Currently, Perle is a resident fellow at the American
Enterprise Institute where he specializes in national security and
defense issues. He has been investigated for ethical violations
concerning war profiteering and other conflicts of interest.
[Washington Post, 9/1/04]
Key Quote: "And a year from now, I'll be very surprised if there is
not some grand square in Baghdad that is named after President Bush.
There is no doubt that, with the exception of a very small number of
people close to a vicious regime, the people of Iraq have been
liberated and they understand that they've been liberated. And it is
getting easier every day for Iraqis to express that sense of
liberation." [Perle, 9/22/03]
ELLIOT ABRAMS
Role In Going To War: Abrams was one of the defendants in the Iran-
Contra Affair, and he pled guilty to two misdemeanor counts of
withholding information from Congress. He was appointed Special
Assistant to the President and Senior Director on the National
Security Council for Near East and North African Affairs during Bush's
first term, where he served as Bush's chief advisor on the Middle
East. His name surfaced as part of the investigation into who leaked
the name of a undercover CIA operative Valerie Plame. [Washington
Post, 5/27/03, 2/3/05]
Where He Is Now: Abrams was promoted to deputy national security
adviser in February of 2005. In that position, he has led a smear
campaign to attack Speaker Nancy Pelosi for visiting Syria. [Slate,
2/17/05; IPS, 4/9/07; Washington Post, 2/15/07]
Key Quote: "We recognize that military action in Iraq, if necessary,
will have adverse humanitarian consequences. We have been planning
over the last several months, across all relevant agencies, to limit
any such consequences and provide relief quickly." [CNN, 2/25/03]
SCOOTER LIBBY
Role In Going To War: As Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff,
Libby repeatedly pressured CIA analysts to report that Iraq had
weapons of mass destruction and links to al Qaeda. He also provided
classified government information to New York Times reporter Judith
Miller that formed the basis of a series of articles highlighting
Iraq's weapons of mass destruction that were later entirely
discredited. Along with Hannah, Libby was a principal author of the
discredited draft UN presentation. [Washington Post, 6/5/03; National
Journal, 4/6/06; FAIR, 3/19/07; NYT, 10/30/05]
Where He Is Now: On June 5, 2007, Libby was sentenced to 2.5 years in
prison and a fine of $250,000 for perjury and obstruction of justice
for his role in the CIA leak case. On July 2, 2007, Bush commuted
Libby's prison sentence, ensuring he would serve no time in jail.
[NYT, 6/5/07; Bush, 7/2/07]
Key Quote: "I'm a great fan of the Vice President," Libby told Larry
King in 2002. "I think he's one of the smartest, most honorable people
I've ever met." [Time, 10/28/05]
JOHN HANNAH
Role In Going To War: As deputy national security advisor to Vice
President Cheney, Hannah served as the conduit between Ahmad Chalabi's
Iraqi National Congress and the Bush administration, passing along
false information about Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction
that the administration relied upon to justify the invasion. Hannah
was also a principal author of the draft speech making the
administration's case for war to the UN. Then-Secretary of State Colin
Powell and CIA director George Tenet rejected most of the content of
the speech as exaggerated and unwarranted. [Newsweek, 12/15/06; NYT,
10/30/05]
Where He Is Now: On October 31, 2005, Cheney promoted Hannah to
national security advisor, replacing the role served previously by
Scooter Libby. [CNN, 10/31/05]
Key Quote: Reprising his role in misleading the country to war with
Iraq, Hannah has told a U.S. ambassador that 2007 is "the year of
Iran" and that a U.S. attack is "a real possibility." [Washington
Post, 2/11/07]
DAVID WURMSER
Role In Going To War: At the time of the war, Wurmser was a special
assistant to John Bolton in the State Department. Wurmser has long
advocated the belief that both Syria and Iraq represented threats to
the stability of the Middle East. In early 2001, Wurmser had issued a
call for air strikes against Iraq and Syria. Along with Perle, he is
considered a main author of "Clean Break." [Asia Times, 4/17/03;
Guardian, 9/3/02]
Where He Is Now: Wurmser was promoted to Principal Deputy Assistant to
the Vice President for National Security Affairs; he is in charge of
coordinating Middle East strategy. His name has been associated with
the Plame Affair and with an FBI investigation into the passing of
classified information to Chalabi and AIPAC. [Raw Story, 10/19/05;
Washington Post, 9/4/04]
Key Quote: "Syria, Iran, Iraq, the PLO and Sudan are playing a
skillful game, but have consistently worked to undermine US interests
and influence in the region for years, and certainly will continue to
do so now, even if they momentarily, out of fear, seem more
forthcoming." [Washington Post, 9/24/01]
ANDREW NATSIOS
Role In Going To War: Shortly after the invasion of Iraq, Andrew
Natsios, then the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International
Development, went on Nightline and claimed that the U.S. contribution
to the rebuilding of Iraq would be just $1.7 billion. When it became
quickly apparent that Natsios' prediction would fall woefully short of
reality, the government came under fire for scrubbing his comments
from the USAID Web site. [Washington Post, 12/18/03; ABC News,
4/23/03]
Where He Is Now: Natsios stepped down as the head of USAID in January
and was teaching at Georgetown University's Edmund A. Walsh's School
of Foreign Service as a Distinguished Professor in the Practice of
Diplomacy and Advisor on International Development. In September 2006,
Bush appointed him Special Envoy for Darfur. [AP, 2/20/06; Georgetown,
12/2/05; Washington Post, 9/19/06]
Key Quote: "[T]he American part of this will be $1.7 billion. We have
no plans for any further-on funding for this." [Nightline, 4/23/03]
DAN BARTLETT
Role In Going To War: Dan Bartlett was the White House Communications
Director at the time of the war and was a mouthpiece in hyping the
Iraq threat. Bartlett was also a regular participant in the weekly
meetings of the White House Iraq Group (WHIG). The main purpose of the
group was the systematic coordination of the "marketing" of going to
war with Iraq as well as selling the war here at home. [Washington
Post, 8/10/03]
Where He Is Now: Bartlett announced his resignation on June 1, 2007 to
pursue his "prospects in the private sector." He was promoted to
Counselor to the President on January 5, 2005, and was responsible for
the formulation of policy and implementation of the President's
agenda. [Washington Post, 6/2/07]
Key Quote: "Most people would argue we are part of the solution in
Iraq, not part of the problem." [CNN, 10/23/06]
MITCH DANIELS
Role In Going To War: Mitch Daniels was the director of the Office of
Management and Budget from January 2001 through June of 2003. In this
capacity, he was responsible for releasing the initial budget
estimates for the Iraq War which he pegged at $50 to $60 billion. The
estimated cost of the war, including the full economic ramifications,
is approaching $1 trillion. [MSNBC, 3/17/06]
Where He Is Now: In 2004, Daniels was elected Governor of Indiana.
[USA Today, 11/3/04]
Key Quote: Mitch Daniels had said the war would be an "affordable
endeavor" and rejected an estimate by the chief White House economic
adviser that the war would cost between $100 billion and $200 billion
as "very, very high." [Christian Science Monitor, 1/10/06]
GEORGE TENET
Role In Going To War: As CIA Director, Tenet was responsible for
gathering information on Iraq and the potential threat posted by
Saddam Hussein. According to author Bob Woodward, Tenet told President
Bush before the war that there was a "slam dunk case" that Saddam
possessed weapons of mass destruction. Tenet remained publicly silent
while the Bush administration made pre-war statements on Iraq's
supposed nuclear program and ties to al Qaeda that were contrary to
the CIA's judgments. Tenet issued a statement in July 2003, drafted by
Karl Rove and Scooter Libby, taking responsibility for Bush's false
statements in his State of the Union address. [CNN, 4/19/04; NYT,
7/22/05]
Where He Is Now: Tenet voluntarily resigned from the administration on
June 3, 2004. He was later awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom. He
released a memoir in April 2007 critical of many in the Bush
administration for their roles in the Iraq war and currently teaches
at Georgetown University's Edmund A. Walsh's School of Foreign
Service. [Washington Post, 6/3/04; CBS, 4/29/07]
Key Quote: "It's a slam dunk case." [CNN, 4/19/04]
COLIN POWELL
Role In Going To War: Despite stating in Feb. 2001 that Saddam had not
developed "any significant capability with respect to weapons of mass
destruction," Powell made the case in front of the United Nations for
a United States-led invasion of Iraq, stating that, "There can be no
doubt that Saddam Hussein has biological weapons and the capability to
rapidly produce more, many more. And he has the ability to dispense
these lethal poisons and diseases in ways that can cause massive death
and destruction." [Powell, 2/5/03; Powell, 2/24/01]
Where He Is Now: Shortly after Bush won reelection in 2004, Powell
resigned from the administration. Powell now sits on numerous
corporate boards. He succeeded Henry Kissinger in May 2006 as Chairman
of the Eisenhower Fellowship Program at the City College of New York.
In September 2005, Powell said of his U.N. speech that it was a "blot"
on his record. He went on to say, "It will always be a part of my
record. It was painful. It's painful now." [ABC News, 9/9/05]
Key Quote: "'You are going to be the proud owner of 25 million
people,' he told the president. 'You will own all their hopes,
aspirations, and problems. You'll own it all.' Privately, Powell and
Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage called this the Pottery
Barn rule: You break it, you own it." [Bob Woodward, Plan of Attack]
DONALD RUMSFELD
Role In Going To War: Prior to the war, Rumsfeld repeatedly suggested
the war in Iraq would be short and swift. He said, "The Gulf War in
the 1990s lasted five days on the ground. I can't tell you if the use
of force in Iraq today would last five days, or five weeks, or five
months, but it certainly isn't going to last any longer than that." He
also said, "It is unknowable how long that conflict will last. It
could last six days, six weeks. I doubt six months." [Rumsfeld,
11/14/02; USA Today, 4/1/03]
Where He Is Now: After repeated calls for his resignation, Donald
Rumsfeld finally stepped down on November 8, 2006, one day after the
2006 midterm elections. Rumsfeld is now "working on setting up a new
foundation...to promote continued U.S. engagement in world affairs in
furtherance of U.S. security interests" so that he can "remain engaged
in public policy issues." He is also shopping a memoir, in the hopes
of receiving "a large cash advance." [AP, 11/8/06; Reuters, 3/19/06;
Washington Times, 5/18/07; NY Sun, 6/27/07]
Key Quote: "You go to war with the Army you have. They're not the Army
you might want or wish to have at a later time." [CNN, 12/9/04]
CONDOLEEZZA RICE
Role In Going To War: As National Security Adviser, Rice disregarded
at least two CIA memos and a personal phone call from Director George
Tenet stating that the evidence behind Iraq's supposed uranium
acquisition was weak. She urged the necessity of war because "we don't
want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud." [Washington Post,
7/27/03; CNN, 9/8/02]
Where She Is Now: In December of 2004, Condoleezza Rice was promoted
to Secretary of State. [ABC News, 11/16/04]
Key Quote: "We did not know at the time -- maybe someone knew down in
the bowels of the agency -- but no one in our circles knew that there
were doubts and suspicions that this might be a forgery. Of course it
was information that was mistaken." [Meet the Press, 6/8/03]
DICK CHENEY
Role In Going To War: Among a host of false pre-war statements, Cheney
claimed that Iraq may have had a role in 9/11, stating that it was
"pretty well confirmed" that 9/11 hijacker Mohammed Atta met with
Iraqi intelligence officials. Cheney also claimed that Saddam was "in
fact reconstituting his nuclear program" and that the U.S. would be
"greeted as liberators." [Meet the Press, 12/9/01, 3/16/03]
Where He Is Now: Cheney earned another four years in power when Bush
won re-election in 2004. Despite some conservatives calling for him to
be replaced, Cheney has said, "I've now been elected to a second term;
I'll serve out my term." Cheney continues to advocate for preemptive
military intervention, recently delivering threats toward Iran in a
speech aboard an aircraft carrier off Iran's coast. [CBS Face the
Nation, 3/19/06; NYT, 5/11/07]
Key Quote: "I think they're in the last throes, if you will, of the
insurgency." [Larry King Live, 6/20/05]
GEORGE W. BUSH
Role In Going To War: Emphasizing Saddam Hussein's supposed stockpile
of weapons of mass destruction, supposed ties to al Qaeda, and
supposed nuclear weapons program, Bush built public support for -- and
subsequently ordered -- an invasion of Iraq. [State of the Union,
1/28/03]
Where He Is Now: In November 2004, Bush won re-election. Since that
time, popular support for the war and the President have reached a low
point -- nearing the levels of Richard Nixon during Watergate. [Chicago
Sun-Times, 6/19/07]
Key Quote: "Facing clear evidence of peril, we cannot wait for the
final proof -- the smoking gun -- that could come in the form of a
mushroom cloud." [Bush, 10/7/02]
http://thinkprogress.org/the-architects-where-are-they-now/
http://www.thepigsite.com/articles/contents/05-07ARNIReducingVariability1.jpg
President Bush has not fired any of the architects of the Iraq war. In
fact, a review of the key planners of the conflict reveals that they
have been rewarded -- not blamed -- for their incompetence.
PAUL WOLFOWITZ
Role In Going To War: Wolfowitz said the U.S. would be greeted as
liberators, that Iraqi oil money would pay for the reconstruction, and
that Gen. Eric Shinseki's estimate that several hundred thousand
troops would be needed was "wildly off the mark." [Washington Post,
12/8/05; Wolfowitz, 3/27/03]
Where He Is Now: Bush promoted Wolfowitz to head the World Bank in
March 2005. Two years into his five-year term, Wolfowitz was rebuked
by the World Bank investigative committee for engineering an unethical
pay and promotion package for his girlfriend and, after repeated calls
for his resignation, stepped down on May 17, 2007. Wolfowitz is now a
visiting scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, a right-wing
think tank that "has the President's ear" on national security issues.
[Washington Post, 3/17/05, 5/18/07; Financial Times, 6/28/07]
Key Quote: "The truth is that for reasons that have a lot to do with
the U.S. government bureaucracy, we settled on the one issue that
everyone could agree on which was weapons of mass destruction as the
core reason [for going to war]." [USA Today, 5/30/03]
DOUGLAS FEITH
Role In Going To War: As Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, Feith
spearheaded two secretive groups at the Pentagon -- the Counter
Terrorism Evaluation Group and the Office of Special Plans -- that were
instrumental in drawing up documents that explained the supposed ties
between Saddam and al Qaeda. The groups were "created in order to find
evidence of what Wolfowitz and his boss, Defense Secretary Donald
Rumsfeld, believed to be true." Colin Powell referred to Feith's
operation as the Gestapo. In Bob Woodward's Plan of Attack, former
CentCom Commander Gen. Tommy Franks called Feith the "f ing
stupidest guy on the face of the earth." [LAT, 1/27/05; NYT, 4/28/04;
New Yorker, 5/12/03; Plan of Attack, p.281]
Where He Is Now: Feith voluntarily resigned from the Defense
Department shortly after Bush's reelection. He is currently writing a
memoir of his Pentagon work and teaching a course at Georgetown
University "on the Bush Administration's strategy behind the war on
terrorism." The Defense Department's Inspector General found that
Feith's secretive groups at the Pentagon "developed, produced, and
then disseminated" deceptive intelligence that contradicted "the
consensus of the Intelligence Community." These groups are still under
investigation by the Senate Intelligence Committee. [Washington Post,
1/27/05;Georgetown press release, 5/1/06; NYT, 2/9/07]
Key Quote: "I am not asserting to you that I know that the answer is --
we did it right. What I am saying is it's an extremely complex
judgment to know whether the course that we chose with its pros and
cons was more sensible." [Washington Post, 7/13/05]
STEPHEN HADLEY
Role In Going To War: As then-Deputy National Security Advisor, Hadley
disregarded memos from the CIA and a personal phone call from Director
George Tenet warning that references to Iraq's pursuit of uranium be
dropped from Bush's speeches. The false information ended up in Bush's
2003 State of the Union address. [Washington Post, 7/23/03]
Where He Is Now: On January 26, 2005, Stephen Hadley was promoted to
National Security Advisor. [White House bio]
Key Quote: "I should have recalled at the time of the State of the
Union speech that there was controversy associated with the uranium
issue. ... And it is now clear to me that I failed in that
responsibility in connection with the inclusion of these 16 words in
the speech that he gave on the 28th of January." [Hadley, 7/22/03]
RICHARD PERLE
Role In Going To War: Richard Perle, the so-called "Prince of
Darkness," was the chairman of Defense Policy Board during the run-up
to the Iraq war. He suggested Iraq had a hand in 9-11. In 1996, he
authored "Clean Break," a paper that was co-signed by Douglas Feith,
David Wurmser, and others that argued for regime change in Iraq.
Shortly after the war began, Perle resigned from the Board because he
came under fire for having relationships with businesses that stood to
profit from the war. [Guardian, 9/3/02, 3/28/03; AFP, 8/9/02]
Where He Is Now: Currently, Perle is a resident fellow at the American
Enterprise Institute where he specializes in national security and
defense issues. He has been investigated for ethical violations
concerning war profiteering and other conflicts of interest.
[Washington Post, 9/1/04]
Key Quote: "And a year from now, I'll be very surprised if there is
not some grand square in Baghdad that is named after President Bush.
There is no doubt that, with the exception of a very small number of
people close to a vicious regime, the people of Iraq have been
liberated and they understand that they've been liberated. And it is
getting easier every day for Iraqis to express that sense of
liberation." [Perle, 9/22/03]
ELLIOT ABRAMS
Role In Going To War: Abrams was one of the defendants in the Iran-
Contra Affair, and he pled guilty to two misdemeanor counts of
withholding information from Congress. He was appointed Special
Assistant to the President and Senior Director on the National
Security Council for Near East and North African Affairs during Bush's
first term, where he served as Bush's chief advisor on the Middle
East. His name surfaced as part of the investigation into who leaked
the name of a undercover CIA operative Valerie Plame. [Washington
Post, 5/27/03, 2/3/05]
Where He Is Now: Abrams was promoted to deputy national security
adviser in February of 2005. In that position, he has led a smear
campaign to attack Speaker Nancy Pelosi for visiting Syria. [Slate,
2/17/05; IPS, 4/9/07; Washington Post, 2/15/07]
Key Quote: "We recognize that military action in Iraq, if necessary,
will have adverse humanitarian consequences. We have been planning
over the last several months, across all relevant agencies, to limit
any such consequences and provide relief quickly." [CNN, 2/25/03]
SCOOTER LIBBY
Role In Going To War: As Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff,
Libby repeatedly pressured CIA analysts to report that Iraq had
weapons of mass destruction and links to al Qaeda. He also provided
classified government information to New York Times reporter Judith
Miller that formed the basis of a series of articles highlighting
Iraq's weapons of mass destruction that were later entirely
discredited. Along with Hannah, Libby was a principal author of the
discredited draft UN presentation. [Washington Post, 6/5/03; National
Journal, 4/6/06; FAIR, 3/19/07; NYT, 10/30/05]
Where He Is Now: On June 5, 2007, Libby was sentenced to 2.5 years in
prison and a fine of $250,000 for perjury and obstruction of justice
for his role in the CIA leak case. On July 2, 2007, Bush commuted
Libby's prison sentence, ensuring he would serve no time in jail.
[NYT, 6/5/07; Bush, 7/2/07]
Key Quote: "I'm a great fan of the Vice President," Libby told Larry
King in 2002. "I think he's one of the smartest, most honorable people
I've ever met." [Time, 10/28/05]
JOHN HANNAH
Role In Going To War: As deputy national security advisor to Vice
President Cheney, Hannah served as the conduit between Ahmad Chalabi's
Iraqi National Congress and the Bush administration, passing along
false information about Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction
that the administration relied upon to justify the invasion. Hannah
was also a principal author of the draft speech making the
administration's case for war to the UN. Then-Secretary of State Colin
Powell and CIA director George Tenet rejected most of the content of
the speech as exaggerated and unwarranted. [Newsweek, 12/15/06; NYT,
10/30/05]
Where He Is Now: On October 31, 2005, Cheney promoted Hannah to
national security advisor, replacing the role served previously by
Scooter Libby. [CNN, 10/31/05]
Key Quote: Reprising his role in misleading the country to war with
Iraq, Hannah has told a U.S. ambassador that 2007 is "the year of
Iran" and that a U.S. attack is "a real possibility." [Washington
Post, 2/11/07]
DAVID WURMSER
Role In Going To War: At the time of the war, Wurmser was a special
assistant to John Bolton in the State Department. Wurmser has long
advocated the belief that both Syria and Iraq represented threats to
the stability of the Middle East. In early 2001, Wurmser had issued a
call for air strikes against Iraq and Syria. Along with Perle, he is
considered a main author of "Clean Break." [Asia Times, 4/17/03;
Guardian, 9/3/02]
Where He Is Now: Wurmser was promoted to Principal Deputy Assistant to
the Vice President for National Security Affairs; he is in charge of
coordinating Middle East strategy. His name has been associated with
the Plame Affair and with an FBI investigation into the passing of
classified information to Chalabi and AIPAC. [Raw Story, 10/19/05;
Washington Post, 9/4/04]
Key Quote: "Syria, Iran, Iraq, the PLO and Sudan are playing a
skillful game, but have consistently worked to undermine US interests
and influence in the region for years, and certainly will continue to
do so now, even if they momentarily, out of fear, seem more
forthcoming." [Washington Post, 9/24/01]
ANDREW NATSIOS
Role In Going To War: Shortly after the invasion of Iraq, Andrew
Natsios, then the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International
Development, went on Nightline and claimed that the U.S. contribution
to the rebuilding of Iraq would be just $1.7 billion. When it became
quickly apparent that Natsios' prediction would fall woefully short of
reality, the government came under fire for scrubbing his comments
from the USAID Web site. [Washington Post, 12/18/03; ABC News,
4/23/03]
Where He Is Now: Natsios stepped down as the head of USAID in January
and was teaching at Georgetown University's Edmund A. Walsh's School
of Foreign Service as a Distinguished Professor in the Practice of
Diplomacy and Advisor on International Development. In September 2006,
Bush appointed him Special Envoy for Darfur. [AP, 2/20/06; Georgetown,
12/2/05; Washington Post, 9/19/06]
Key Quote: "[T]he American part of this will be $1.7 billion. We have
no plans for any further-on funding for this." [Nightline, 4/23/03]
DAN BARTLETT
Role In Going To War: Dan Bartlett was the White House Communications
Director at the time of the war and was a mouthpiece in hyping the
Iraq threat. Bartlett was also a regular participant in the weekly
meetings of the White House Iraq Group (WHIG). The main purpose of the
group was the systematic coordination of the "marketing" of going to
war with Iraq as well as selling the war here at home. [Washington
Post, 8/10/03]
Where He Is Now: Bartlett announced his resignation on June 1, 2007 to
pursue his "prospects in the private sector." He was promoted to
Counselor to the President on January 5, 2005, and was responsible for
the formulation of policy and implementation of the President's
agenda. [Washington Post, 6/2/07]
Key Quote: "Most people would argue we are part of the solution in
Iraq, not part of the problem." [CNN, 10/23/06]
MITCH DANIELS
Role In Going To War: Mitch Daniels was the director of the Office of
Management and Budget from January 2001 through June of 2003. In this
capacity, he was responsible for releasing the initial budget
estimates for the Iraq War which he pegged at $50 to $60 billion. The
estimated cost of the war, including the full economic ramifications,
is approaching $1 trillion. [MSNBC, 3/17/06]
Where He Is Now: In 2004, Daniels was elected Governor of Indiana.
[USA Today, 11/3/04]
Key Quote: Mitch Daniels had said the war would be an "affordable
endeavor" and rejected an estimate by the chief White House economic
adviser that the war would cost between $100 billion and $200 billion
as "very, very high." [Christian Science Monitor, 1/10/06]
GEORGE TENET
Role In Going To War: As CIA Director, Tenet was responsible for
gathering information on Iraq and the potential threat posted by
Saddam Hussein. According to author Bob Woodward, Tenet told President
Bush before the war that there was a "slam dunk case" that Saddam
possessed weapons of mass destruction. Tenet remained publicly silent
while the Bush administration made pre-war statements on Iraq's
supposed nuclear program and ties to al Qaeda that were contrary to
the CIA's judgments. Tenet issued a statement in July 2003, drafted by
Karl Rove and Scooter Libby, taking responsibility for Bush's false
statements in his State of the Union address. [CNN, 4/19/04; NYT,
7/22/05]
Where He Is Now: Tenet voluntarily resigned from the administration on
June 3, 2004. He was later awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom. He
released a memoir in April 2007 critical of many in the Bush
administration for their roles in the Iraq war and currently teaches
at Georgetown University's Edmund A. Walsh's School of Foreign
Service. [Washington Post, 6/3/04; CBS, 4/29/07]
Key Quote: "It's a slam dunk case." [CNN, 4/19/04]
COLIN POWELL
Role In Going To War: Despite stating in Feb. 2001 that Saddam had not
developed "any significant capability with respect to weapons of mass
destruction," Powell made the case in front of the United Nations for
a United States-led invasion of Iraq, stating that, "There can be no
doubt that Saddam Hussein has biological weapons and the capability to
rapidly produce more, many more. And he has the ability to dispense
these lethal poisons and diseases in ways that can cause massive death
and destruction." [Powell, 2/5/03; Powell, 2/24/01]
Where He Is Now: Shortly after Bush won reelection in 2004, Powell
resigned from the administration. Powell now sits on numerous
corporate boards. He succeeded Henry Kissinger in May 2006 as Chairman
of the Eisenhower Fellowship Program at the City College of New York.
In September 2005, Powell said of his U.N. speech that it was a "blot"
on his record. He went on to say, "It will always be a part of my
record. It was painful. It's painful now." [ABC News, 9/9/05]
Key Quote: "'You are going to be the proud owner of 25 million
people,' he told the president. 'You will own all their hopes,
aspirations, and problems. You'll own it all.' Privately, Powell and
Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage called this the Pottery
Barn rule: You break it, you own it." [Bob Woodward, Plan of Attack]
DONALD RUMSFELD
Role In Going To War: Prior to the war, Rumsfeld repeatedly suggested
the war in Iraq would be short and swift. He said, "The Gulf War in
the 1990s lasted five days on the ground. I can't tell you if the use
of force in Iraq today would last five days, or five weeks, or five
months, but it certainly isn't going to last any longer than that." He
also said, "It is unknowable how long that conflict will last. It
could last six days, six weeks. I doubt six months." [Rumsfeld,
11/14/02; USA Today, 4/1/03]
Where He Is Now: After repeated calls for his resignation, Donald
Rumsfeld finally stepped down on November 8, 2006, one day after the
2006 midterm elections. Rumsfeld is now "working on setting up a new
foundation...to promote continued U.S. engagement in world affairs in
furtherance of U.S. security interests" so that he can "remain engaged
in public policy issues." He is also shopping a memoir, in the hopes
of receiving "a large cash advance." [AP, 11/8/06; Reuters, 3/19/06;
Washington Times, 5/18/07; NY Sun, 6/27/07]
Key Quote: "You go to war with the Army you have. They're not the Army
you might want or wish to have at a later time." [CNN, 12/9/04]
CONDOLEEZZA RICE
Role In Going To War: As National Security Adviser, Rice disregarded
at least two CIA memos and a personal phone call from Director George
Tenet stating that the evidence behind Iraq's supposed uranium
acquisition was weak. She urged the necessity of war because "we don't
want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud." [Washington Post,
7/27/03; CNN, 9/8/02]
Where She Is Now: In December of 2004, Condoleezza Rice was promoted
to Secretary of State. [ABC News, 11/16/04]
Key Quote: "We did not know at the time -- maybe someone knew down in
the bowels of the agency -- but no one in our circles knew that there
were doubts and suspicions that this might be a forgery. Of course it
was information that was mistaken." [Meet the Press, 6/8/03]
DICK CHENEY
Role In Going To War: Among a host of false pre-war statements, Cheney
claimed that Iraq may have had a role in 9/11, stating that it was
"pretty well confirmed" that 9/11 hijacker Mohammed Atta met with
Iraqi intelligence officials. Cheney also claimed that Saddam was "in
fact reconstituting his nuclear program" and that the U.S. would be
"greeted as liberators." [Meet the Press, 12/9/01, 3/16/03]
Where He Is Now: Cheney earned another four years in power when Bush
won re-election in 2004. Despite some conservatives calling for him to
be replaced, Cheney has said, "I've now been elected to a second term;
I'll serve out my term." Cheney continues to advocate for preemptive
military intervention, recently delivering threats toward Iran in a
speech aboard an aircraft carrier off Iran's coast. [CBS Face the
Nation, 3/19/06; NYT, 5/11/07]
Key Quote: "I think they're in the last throes, if you will, of the
insurgency." [Larry King Live, 6/20/05]
GEORGE W. BUSH
Role In Going To War: Emphasizing Saddam Hussein's supposed stockpile
of weapons of mass destruction, supposed ties to al Qaeda, and
supposed nuclear weapons program, Bush built public support for -- and
subsequently ordered -- an invasion of Iraq. [State of the Union,
1/28/03]
Where He Is Now: In November 2004, Bush won re-election. Since that
time, popular support for the war and the President have reached a low
point -- nearing the levels of Richard Nixon during Watergate. [Chicago
Sun-Times, 6/19/07]
Key Quote: "Facing clear evidence of peril, we cannot wait for the
final proof -- the smoking gun -- that could come in the form of a
mushroom cloud." [Bush, 10/7/02]
http://thinkprogress.org/the-architects-where-are-they-now/