National Security Advisor Quotes
This was an indirect criticism of Condoleezza Rice, the National Security Advisor to George W, Bush for not taking a role that Mazarr and many others believe she should have. On the other hand, President Bush selected her precisely because she shared his values and instincts. Perhaps, Bush should have selected and advisor who held a DIFFERENT view and perspective from himself. This quotation reveals the classic dilemma of political appointments of key advisors and cabinet members. Bush and Ronald Reagan tended to select advisors who agreed with them in philosophy and politics. FDR and Obama, followed the Lincoln tradition and appointed many advisors who were not intellectual clones of their own views and values.
Bush assumes that this meant that all the people agreed with his decision to invade Iraq. While that might have been the case, there are other possibilities that many historians, journalists and other analysts have suggested. The Vice President, and his personal staff, were known to have visited them all and lobbied for the invasion. They pressured several of them who may have not wanted to run afoul of what seemed to be the most powerful vice president in American History. Or they may have thought that the decision had already been made, and it was time to join together and loyally support the policy decision that had been made. There were few strong independent thinkers in the top tier as Bush was not intellectually or emotionally inclined to have open staff arguments to work out a policy or very strong advisors with different points of view. The strongest of the advisors like Secretary of State Colin Powell had been lied to and persuaded there was “clear evidence” that Iraq was about to deploy a nuclear weapon. This made Powell an advocate. The intelligence given to Powell and the others was wrong and much was fabricated or obtained from an unreliable source who had been pushed as trustworthy by the Vice President. The CIA Director, had told those all that the evidence and case for the fact that Iraq was developing and close to deploying a nuclear weapon was a “slam dunk”.
Compare to a related sentiment by a former National Security Advisor, Colin Powell.
Instructions to his national security advisor, Brent Scowcroft, should there be any nighttime emergencies:
