4 YEARS AGO

Rummy was on the right track about how a post-war should go in these remarks from February 14, 2003:

Beyond Nation Building
Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld, 11th Annual Salute to Freedom, Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum, New York City, Friday, February 14, 2003

Of course, there are several blatant lies about Iraq and this one is perhaps the worst:

This is not to underestimate the challenges the coalition would face. But Iraq has several advantages Afghanistan does not. One is time. The effort in Afghanistan had to be planned and executed in a matter of weeks after September 11th. With Iraq, by contrast, there has been time to prepare. We have set up a Post-War Planning Office to think problems through and coordinate the efforts of coalition countries and U.S. government agencies.

We've known for a while that there was no "Phase IV" (post-war planning) and that Rummy went so far as to prohibit the military from making post-war plans. Moving on to the realistic part of the speech, here's what Rummy had to say about post-war efforts:

The objective is not for us to engage in "nation building"-it is to help Afghans, so they can build their own nation. That is an important distinction.

In some "nation building" exercises, well-intentioned foreigners arrive on the scene, look at the problems, and say, "let's go fix it for them." This can be a disservice. Because when foreigners come in with international solutions to local problems, it can create a dependency.

A long-term foreign presence in a country can be unnatural. It is much like a broken bone. If it is not set properly at the outset, eventually, the muscles and tendons will grow around the break, and the body will adjust to the abnormal condition.

Our goal is not to create another culture of dependence, but rather to promote Afghan independence-because long-term stability comes not from the presence of foreign forces, but from the development of functioning local institutions.

Some ask what lessons our experiences in Afghanistan might offer for the possibility of a post-Saddam Iraq? The President has not made a decision to use force in Iraq. But if he were to do so, that principle would hold true: Iraq belongs to the Iraqis-we do not aspire to own it or run it.

If the United States were to lead an international coalition in Iraq, we would be guided by two commitments: to stay as long as necessary; and to leave as soon as possible.

First, Rummy lied when he said Pres. Fredo had not made a decision to use force: that was decided months, perhaps even years, ago. Second, we did end up owning it and running it.