Senior House Republican Thinks Iraq Was A Mistake

by Steve

A senior House Republican who is retiring this year has told his constituents in a letter that the Iraq war in retrospect was a mistake. And this isn’t any House GOP member. This is the second ranking GOP representative behind one Porter Goss on the House Intelligence Committee.

"I've reached the conclusion, retrospectively, now that the inadequate intelligence and faulty conclusions are being revealed, that all things being considered, it was a mistake to launch that military action," Rep. Doug Bereuter wrote in a letter to his constituents.

"Left unresolved for now is whether intelligence was intentionally misconstrued to justify military action," he said.

Whoa.

In 2002, Bereuter had spoken out in support of a House resolution authorizing the president to go to war.

In addition to "a massive failure or misinterpretation of intelligence," Bereuter said the Bush administration made several other errors in going to war despite warnings about the consequences.

"From the beginning of the conflict, it was doubtful that we for long would be seen as liberators, but instead increasingly as an occupying force," he said. "Now we are immersed in a dangerous, costly mess, and there is no easy and quick way to end our responsibilities in Iraq without creating bigger future problems in the region and, in general, in the Muslim world."

Bereuter said as a result of the war, "our country's reputation around the world has never been lower and our alliances are weakened."

There may be more and more of these crises of conscience by departing GOP officials in the months ahead.

These comments should make for some interesting background material at Porter Goss’s confirmation hearings. If Goss’s Number Two on the Intelligence Committee from his own party thinks this way, and has seen the same intelligence reports that Goss has, then how will Goss credibly take a different pro-administration position?