It seems that some of those responsible for the (run-up to the) war in Iraq, and the way this war was handled in its early stages (the occupation, etc.) are trying to distance themselves from it. In this particular instance, it’s Dough Feith who blames Colin Powell (of all people), the CIA “retired Gen. Tommy R. Franks and former Iraq occupation chief L. Paul Bremer for mishandling the run-up to the invasion and the subsequent occupation of the country.”

He writes in his book “War and Decision,” which is scheduled for release next month, that the State Department and the (US) intelligence community “repeatedly undermined plans he developed as undersecretary of defense for policy and conspired to undercut President Bush’s policies.”

In other words: the ones to blame for the first few years of the occupation - which were quite disastrous indeed - are, according to Feith, the ones who were most critical of Bush’s and Rumsfeld’s approach to the war.

In his book he “says the decision to invade was correct, he judges that the task of creating a viable and stable Iraqi government was poorly executed and remains ‘grimly incomplete’.”

About Powell Feith writes that while the former General and then Secretary of State was more than happy that he was publicly portrayed as a dove, he privately never spoke out about the coming war and following occupation.

“Bremer, meanwhile, is said to have done more harm than good in Iraq.”

Which is of course correct.

He also writes that General, now retired, Franks was “uninterested in postwar planning.” Furthermore, he argues, Condoleezza Rice “failed in her primary task of coordinating policy on the war.”

And George W. Bush and Donald Rumsfeld, basically the two guys who truly planned everything (and were responsible)? Well, Feith admires both in his book, which comes across to me as a neoconservative hackjob.

More:

In his book, Feith defends the intelligence activities on grounds that the CIA was “politicizing” intelligence by ignoring evidence in its own reports of ties between Hussein and international terrorists…

Powell and his deputy, Richard L. Armitage, are described as repeatedly working behind the scenes to undercut sound proposals by Feith and other Pentagon officials and to undermine decisions Bush had made. Feith criticizes Powell’s failure to persuade France and Germany to support U.S. war policy at the United Nations, and to gain Turkey’s approval for U.S. troop movements in its territory, as failures of effort and commitment. Feith also asks what would have happened if Powell had argued with Bush against overthrowing Hussein. Powell might have persuaded the president, Feith writes, or, if not, could have resigned…

In an introduction to the manuscript, Feith writes that he has tried to avoid polemic and seeks only to contribute to the historical record. He argues, as have other Iraq hawks such as Richard Perle — a former Reagan administration Pentagon official and outside Rumsfeld adviser — that the administration’s careful approach to Iraq, including a swift transition to Iraqi control, was prevented from succeeding by ill-informed or disloyal subordinates.

Shorter Feith: it’s their fault.

It’s interesting to see that these people have learned all the wrong lessons from the first few years of the Iraq War.

Others blogging:

Prairie Pundit:

Feith has a point on the planning issue. Historically war plans have to be constantly revised because when you are in contact with a thinking enemy he constantly adapts to your strategy and tactics which causes you to have to constantly adapt. It is surprising how many people writing about the war including Ricks ignore this fact of warfare. They are wrapped in this fantasy that you can have a plan that will anticipate the enemy’s reaction to each event. If that were true war would be easy and their would be little friction in the effort to overwhelm the enemy.

 First-Draft:

Irony. Whenever I think they’ve finally killed it, it rises from its grave to gnaw the Republic once more.

To say anything more than that this man should be in chains locked in a cell papered with pictures of the men, women and children his work helped to kill is to dignify him beyond his station.

Muckraked:

 The number of published books chronicling the invasion of Iraq and the continuing war could probably fill a few bookcases at your local Barnes & Noble.

But the full story of one key player, Ahmad Chalabi, has yet to be told.

The legendary conman and disgraced war cheerleader gets his due in Aram Roston’s “The Man Who Pushed America to War: The Extraordinary Life, Adventures and Obsessions of Ahmad Chalabi.”