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Tim Russert: 'Civil War at the Pentagon'
NBC’s "Meet the Press" host Tim Russert says the United States must find a way to get out of Iraq, but it cannot do so unless the Bush administration admits that "serious mistakes were made” there.
Appearing on MSNBC’s "Imus in the Morning" show, Russert sided with former CENTCOM Cmdr. Anthony Zinni and others, who have criticized Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld for his handling of the war in Iraq. Russert claims that a "person close to the president” told him that Bush would not fire Rumsfeld because "it would be the equivalent of firing himself” for decisions made in the U.S. military approach in Iraq.
Story Continues Below "I knew something was happening several months ago when people first started talking about a timetable in Iraq,” Russert said. "I got several calls from people at the Pentagon and they said, ‘[Rep. John] Murtha is right’ about getting our troops out of Iraq.” Russert claims there are several people in the Department of Defense – not just retired generals – who are critical of the Bush administration’s handling of the ongoing war on terror, particularly in Iraq. "It’s the equivalent of a civil war going on at the Pentagon,” he said. "The generals are trying to reclaim control of the war ... because they do believe that serious mistakes were made. That’s a very serious statement.” The NBC anchor said President Bush must make a "mea culpa” to the American public and enlist the help of Democrats to admit their own mistakes before a solution can be found to the complications in Iraq. "We have a real situation in Iraq that needs to be solved,” Russert said. "Everyone agrees on the exit strategy; we need to find enough Iraqis who are willing to shed their own blood and die to secure their country.” But Russert thinks it will take more than a commitment on the part of the Iraqis to solve the problem.
"They [Bush and the Democrats] can sit down for eight hours, close the door, and find a unified American position in order to get those kids out of there and leave behind something that is more secure and better than it was before we went in,” Russert said. "There are 135,000 kids over there and we can’t forget that.”
Editor's note:
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