Promoting his memoir Known and Unknown on CNN’s State of the Union today, former defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld talked about the things he didn’t know. Rumsfeld reiterated the claim that intelligence reports, now shown to have been false (and maybe pretty dubious in the first place), that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction were the “big” reason the United States attacked Iraq and ousted Saddam Hussein from power. When CNN asked if the U.S. would likely not have gone to war had it been revealed Iraq didn’t have weapons of mass destruction, Rumsfeld said, “I think that’s probably right.”
Rumsfeld also expressed support for populist protesters in the Mideast. “My heart goes out to them. You’re seeing people around the world aspiring to have freer political systems, and that’s a wonderful thing. On one hand I’m thinking, ‘I can understand that,’ and it’s hopeful. I would love to see those countries have freer political systems. On the other hand, I hope as that moves forward, and as those wonderful things are expressed, I pray that a small, dedicated group of extremists doesn’t succeed in taking over.”
Donald Rumsfeld: I wouldn’t visit bin Laden in Gitmo, ‘he’s not my type’ [44/WP]
Rumsfeld: WMD issue was “the big one” in Iraq invasion [CNN]
