Donald Rumsfeld, interviewed at his Taos ranch by GQ Magazine:
"In terms of what's going on in Iraq or Afghanistan today, what the Department of Defense is doing is working. What isn't working is the diplomatic side. The government of Iraq has not been able to find ways to bring the elements of that country together sufficiently that they can create an environment hospitable to, uh, whatever one wants to call their evolving way of life, a democracy or a representative system or a freer system. Look at Afghanistan. In Afghanistan, 28 million people are free. They have their own president, they have their own parliament. Improved a lot on the streets."
All your theories worked there, in other words.
"It's been a big success! The Iraqi government has not been successful as yet. And, uh, it's gonna take some time and some effort."
"When do you see it resolved?"
"I'm not gonna get into that."
Right. But if you distill the general sense…the measured general sense…of what the American public feels about Iraq right now, it would be: a plan in but not a plan out. Do you agree with that?
"No! No, no! The military has to have plans for post-major-conflict stabilization, and they did. And, uh, the focus of the insurgents and the terrorists and the Al Qaeda have put on Iraq… It's enormously important to them."
But you sleep okay?
"I do. Always have."
No nightmares?
"Nope."
