Douglas Feith, the former undersecretary of defense for policy under Donald Rumsfeld and a chief architect of the Iraq War, said he wouldn’t be at all surprised if history mitigates current criticisms of the war.
“It’s almost inevitable given the course of time,” he said Thursday at the “Q&A Cafe” at Nathans of Georgetown. After 20 or 30 years, history always presents “a revision in some substantial way” to the way events are perceived by contemporaries.
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Feith has been busy promoting his new book, “War and Decision: Inside the Pentagon at the Dawn of the War on Terrorism.”
So has the reaction been particularly venomous, asked host Carol Joynt.
“It’s been all right,” he said. “When you’re talking to someone who’s actually read the book, it’s a lot easier. … The book was an opportunity to present some accurate information about the decision-making.”
Later, he assured the crowd that he has “peace” about his role in the war, and does not consider himself a “scapegoat.”
He did, however, have plenty to say about the current tone of American politics:
?There’s “all too much reviling going on.”
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“Errors get described as lies and people get their motives impugned.”
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“I value serious thought a lot more than I value underlying anger.”
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“I don’t think it’s appropriate for people to challenge other people’s humanity.”
Not that he’ll have to worry about it much in the future. “I would not expect to go back to the White House” in a future administration, he said.
