Rice admits US has made 'tactical errors in Iraq - thousands of them'

ScottishJohn · Apr 2, 2006

Heard this on the radio the other day, found it quite interesting:

Article said:
"I know we've made tactical errors - thousands of them, I'm sure," Ms Rice said in a session of questions after her speech, organised by BBC Radio 4's Today programme and Chatham House international affairs institution.

"But when you look back in history, what will be judged is did you make the right strategic decisions," she said.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4865344.stm

I would be interested in how she reconciles making 'tactical errors' while at the same time making the right 'strategic decision'. Still. Nice of her to admit it at last.

Fallschirmjägergewehr · Apr 2, 2006

We made tactical errors in France in 1944. Was the invasion the right strategic decision?

The idea that the German war machine that couldn't even mount an invasion across the English channel represented a threat to the United States is laughable at best.

Doctrine1st · Apr 2, 2006

Condi said:

"But when you look back in history, what will be judged is did you make the right strategic decisions," she said.

Click to expand...

When we look back at history the war will be known for one thing for sure, lying about the rational, and secondly the start of a civil war.

Certainly a strategic report card of zeros.

Fallschirmjägergewehr · Apr 2, 2006

Doctrine1st said:
When we look back at history the war will be known for one thing for sure, lying about the rational, and secondly the start of a civil war.

Certainly a strategic report card of zeros.

I bow to your superior precognitive abilities.

Doctrine1st · Apr 2, 2006

Fallschirmjägergewehr said:
I bow to your superior precognitive abilities.

T'aint rocket science.

MachZer0 · Apr 2, 2006

I'm confused. We've been told over and over by the left for the last 5 years that the Bush administration NEVER admits its mistakes.

blueapplepaste · Apr 2, 2006

MachZer0 said:
I'm confused. We've been told over and over by the left for the last 5 years that the Bush administration NEVER admits its mistakes.

So in 5 years they've admitted one. They still have about 4355827 more to go...

Alarum · Apr 2, 2006

Fallschirmjägergewehr said:
We made tactical errors in France in 1944. Was the invasion the right strategic decision?

The idea that the German war machine that couldn't even mount an invasion across the English channel represented a threat to the United States is laughable at best.

We weren't in France to stop the Germans. We were in France to stop the Russians from owning everything from Poland to Spain. That did represent a threat, and overall America did nearly nothing militarily to stop the Germans, at least compared to Russia.

JustOneWay · Apr 2, 2006

MachZer0 said:
I'm confused. We've been told over and over by the left for the last 5 years that the Bush administration NEVER admits its mistakes.

Yes, you are confused, because no mistakes by the administration were admitted. She called the mistakes as "tactical" which shifts blame onto the battlefield and the Generals. Retired Gen. Zinni disagrees with Rice:

ZINNI: There’s a series of disastrous mistakes. We just heard the Secretary of State say these were tactical mistakes. These were not tactical mistakes. These were strategic mistakes, mistakes of policies made back here. Don’t blame the troops. They’ve been magnificent. If anything saves us, it will be them.
link

Zinni states that Rice is blaming the troops....shame on this unapologetic administration

*

Fallschirmjägergewehr · Apr 2, 2006

Doctrine1st said:
T'aint rocket science.

I wouldn't call precognition science.

Alarum said:
We weren't in France to stop the Germans. We were in France to stop the Russians from owning everything from Poland to Spain. That did represent a threat, and overall America did nearly nothing militarily to stop the Germans, at least compared to Russia.

The Russians had even less amphibious warfare capability than the Germans and given the weapons of the time, they were even less of a threat to the United States given the balance of naval forces.

ScottishJohn · Apr 2, 2006

MachZer0 said:
I'm confused. We've been told over and over by the left for the last 5 years that the Bush administration NEVER admits its mistakes.

Well admitting many all at once does not disprove that for the past 5 years they have not. Nor does it disprove that they have not acknowledged the damage they have done in Iraq.

Also it is to be noted that after making this statement Rice obviously got a ticking off, because in Typical fashion she did a U turn and dismissed her admission as being 'figurative'.

Article said:
Ms Rice arrived in Iraq after a testing trip to the UK.

She admitted the US had made thousands of tactical errors in Iraq, but later said she was only speaking figuratively.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4869328.stm

This seems to demonstrate a certain inability to make a straight admission of error.

You may notice that in my OP I welcomed the admission.

ScottishJohn · Apr 2, 2006

Fallschirmjägergewehr said:
I wouldn't call precognition science.

The Russians had even less amphibious warfare capability than the Germans and given the weapons of the time, they were even less of a threat to the United States given the balance of naval forces.

The first submarine borne nuclear weapon was developed from German V1 technology in 1946. Had the US and UK not invaded Europe all the technology for the V1 and V2 rockets along with the scientists responsible for their development would have passed into Russian hands along with all of Europe and its resources. It would have been an interesting fight Russia (occupying most of the rest of the Northern Hemisphere) against the US and maybe Canada, I am guessing the US would have struggled, and the USSr would have had all the aces.

openup4christ · Apr 2, 2006

Doctrine1st said:
When we look back at history the war will be known for one thing for sure, lying about the rational, and secondly the start of a civil war.

Certainly a strategic report card of zeros.

Errr i see iam alone here.....

What have Bush lied about, Didnt one of Iraq's generals say that they had WMDs but moved them to syria, And we have video tapes that have suddam saying quote "We have weapons of Mass distruction". If we didnt find them, Its pretty clear that they had them. And i don't see any civil war. I see things that have been happening sence the beggining of Islam but nothing more.

And you cant keep bashing bush for everything he does. If you can name me a World leader that has never made a mistake then ill accept that bush is Horriable.

warispeace · Apr 2, 2006

MachZer0 said:
I'm confused. We've been told over and over by the left for the last 5 years that the Bush administration NEVER admits its mistakes.

Not so fast. Rice has since recanted saying this. It's not a serious admission if you recant later.

warispeace · Apr 2, 2006

openup4christ said:
Didnt one of Iraq's generals say that they had WMDs but moved them to syria, And we have video tapes that have suddam saying quote "We have weapons of Mass distruction".

Link??

JustOneWay · Apr 2, 2006

warispeace said:
Not so fast. Rice has since recanted saying this. It's not a serious admission if you recant later.

Link?

Kalevalatar · Apr 3, 2006

JustOneWay said:
Link?

http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2006/63980.htm

Remarks With British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw At Blackburn Town Hall

Secretary Condoleezza Rice
Blackburn, England
April 1, 2006

QUESTION: Madame Secretary, there's been a lot of interest in your comment yesterday that the United States probably made thousands of tactical errors during the Iraq war. We're obviously very curious about which tactical mistakes would be at the top of your list. Is it the number of troops for the occupation, de-Baathification, disbanding the Iraqi army, the failure to anticipate the insurgency or some other issue?

SECRETARY RICE: Glenn first of all -- first of all -- I meant it figuratively, not literally. All right? Let me be very clear about that. I wasn't sitting around counting. I also said a little later on that I've done this a thousand times. That probably was also figurative.

SEC. RICE: Glenn first of all -- look -- it was just an april fools' joke...

MachZer0 · Apr 3, 2006

blueapplepaste said:
So in 5 years they've admitted one. They still have about 4355827 more to go...

Can you list those for us please?

JustOneWay · Apr 3, 2006

Kalevalatar said:
http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2006/63980.htm

SEC. RICE: Glenn first of all -- look -- it was just an april fools' joke...

thanks for the link Actually, she was still a March fool at the time....

SECRETARY RICE: Glenn first of all -- first of all -- I meant it figuratively, not literally. All right? Let me be very clear about that. I wasn't sitting around counting. I also said a little later on that I've done this a thousand times. That probably was also figurative.
Look, the point that I was making to the questioner, and it was by the way in the discussion that we had at the speech, the point I was making to the questioner is that of course, if you've ever made decisions, you've undoubtedly made mistakes in the decisions that you've made, but that the important thing is to get the big strategic decisions right and that I am confident that the decision to overthrow Saddam Hussein and give the Iraqi people an opportunity for peace and for democracy is the right decision.

She spun out of this one. Rice meant figuratively, not literally regarding the phrase "a thousand", placing the emphasis on the actual "number" of tactical mistakes, while failing to name one specific mistake. Then she procedes to reinforce their tired and empty rhetoric....but we got Saddam....

SSDD

ACougar · Apr 3, 2006

MachZer0 said:
I'm confused. We've been told over and over by the left for the last 5 years that the Bush administration NEVER admits its mistakes.

I think she meant to say miscalculation instead of error, she wasn't admiting any mistake as much as she was admiting haveing made a poor assesment of the situation and what would happen after the war.

Rice admits US has made 'tactical errors in Iraq - thousands of them'

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