Hi clo,
I saw Maddow. It was after watching her that I wrote my post. I think poor judgement re war is disqualifying for a defense secretary.
Yes, there were many people who got things wrong. I would disqualify all of them. I wouldn't pick Hillary Clinton for Defense either.
It was possible to spot the Bush administration's lie to go to war before the decision was taken.
It was possible to keep searching for weapons of mass destruction once the UN weapons inspector caste doubt on their existence. Especially then.
It was possible to predict American military victory and the emergence of terrorism in Iraq.
It was possible to recognise the obligation that the US assumed in removing Saddam and this would mean the cost of American lives.
It was possible to stay the course in the face of hardship. War isn't tiddly-winks.
It was possible to recognise that US occupation strategy was part of the problem and that the solution involved the development of anti-insurgency tactics.
I wasn't the only person to see these things in real time. I have little patience for employing someone as defense secretary who got everything wrong.
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