ABC on Rummy

ABC got the exclusive on Rumsfeld's new book "Knowns and Unknowns", with George Stephanopoulos getting a pre-release interview, to which he opined:

So why won’t Rumsfeld go there [apologizing for his role in Iraq -ed]? After listening to him this morning and watching him with Diane Sawyer last night I’m convinced that he’s guided by a simple mantra: “I’m not McNamara.” He doesn’t believe Iraq is Vietnam. And even if he does believe that his personal mistakes prolonged the war and increased its costs he won’t appease his critics by giving them what they most want. I imagine he calculates that making a concession like that will define his career and overshadow everything else from his half century in public life. Better to fight on than wave the white flag. What’s your theory?

What's my theory? Thanks for asking!

Don Rumsfeld probably believes we went to war with the intelligence we had. More will become clear after reading his book, meanwhile I've also ordered George's memoir "All Too Human", which came out in 1999 after George had left the White House to become an analyst on ABC (you can pick up a used copy for 2 bucks). The book evidently details his years as a senior policy adviser to president Bill Clinton from 1993-1996 (he left in December after the re-election). I'll be reading with an eye out for the following topics:

First World Trade Center Bombing
Ramzi Yousef
KSM
Osama bin Laden
Blind Sheikh Rahman
Ali Mohammed
Attack on US military barracks in Saudi Arabia (twice)
TWA flight 800
CIA coup against Saddam
Defection of Hussein Kamel (Saddam's son-in-law)
Islamic connection to Oklahoma City bombing
and
Waco event coming only days after first WTC bombing

All of these things occurred while George was advising the president--did he go there? Precious few have ever been discussed in any significant detail in the memoirs of Clintoninstas. It's prudent to think he may expand upon these events in a book, being he was a top adviser and such. Google Books reveals some mention of the deliberations behind Bubba's first use of cruise missiles on the Iraqi Intelligence Service HQ in Baghdad in 1993 but George only mentions something about it following the Bush 41 assassination attempt and nothing further.

Also, after joining ABC there was a Sheila Mac Vicar report on ties between Saddam and bin Laden that he might know a little about, since he was there.

And darn, wouldn't it have been fun to watch Rummy turn the tables and ask George whether he has any theories on why there were no 9/11 commission-style investigations into the bombings of both the WTC and Murrah Federal buildings during his watch despite both bombs being similar in nature and in some ways, precursors of the terrorism to follow. But such boorishness was probably what ABC was hoping for, I guess.

Anyway, consider my answer in limbo at the moment pending further review.

MORE 2/9/11

Here's a flashback from the former Secretary of Defense William Cohen (the one who held up the bag of sugar on ABC's This Week in 1997)

"I am absolutely convinced that there are weapons...I saw evidence back in 1998 when we would see the inspectors being barred from gaining entry into a warehouse for three hours with trucks rolling up and then moving those trucks out."
April 2003

Has Stephanpoulos, who worked with the Clinton cabinet, ever asked him to apologize?