Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld walked back his past support of the Iraq war, saying the war’s aim to build democracy in Iraq was “unrealistic” and he was “concerned” when President George W. Bush first made that suggestion.
In a recent interview with the Times of London, Rumsfeld’s comments showed a dramatic shift in opinion regarding the war.
“I’m not one who thinks that our particular template of democracy is appropriate for other countries at every moment of their histories,” Rumsfeld said. “The idea that we could fashion a democracy in Iraq seemed to me unrealistic. I was concerned about it when I first heard those words.”
Rumsfeld served as Bush’s defense secretary from 2001-06 and was a passionate defender of the war in Iraq. As defense secretary, Rumsfeld supported the war’s aim to build democracy in Iraq while also noting the difficulty of the task.
“It will not be an easy transition to democracy in Afghanistan or Iraq,” Rumsfeld said in 2004. “It think it was Thomas Jefferson who said of our own transition that one should not expect to be transported to democracy in a featherbed. It is a tough thing to do.”
Rumsfeld’s comments highlight the recent debate regarding the Iraq War, which has turned into a hotbed issue in the 2016 presidential election. After Jeb Bush stumbled on multiple questions regarding his support of the war, nearly every 2016 GOP candidate has been asked whether they would have authorized the war in 2002.
