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Former secretary of defense explains where president was 'totally inaccurate' on foreign policy
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-- the war in Iraq officially ended last year but it was back on center stage last night.
Setting up this heated exchange between President Obama and governor Ronnie Ronnie going after the president for withdrawing all the troops.
In 2011.
With regards to Iraq.
You and I agreed I believe that there should have been the status of forces agreement digit -- didn't you don't want -- status of well what I what I would not.
Have done is left 101000 troops in Iraq that would tie us down that's certainly would not help us.
In the Middle East I'm sorry you actually there was a there was an effort on the part of the president to have a status of forces period.
And I concurred in that and said that we should have some number of troops stayed on.
That was something I concurred we -- never posture.
That was my posture as well yeah I thought I should have been 5000 troops god punish a bit more troops but you know what.
-- and show us again with a true whatsoever that this is just a few weeks ago that you indicated that we should still have troops in Iraq now I doubt that's our that's why you're either candidate to -- the -- indicated that you.
Failed to put in place a status of forces agreement at the end of the conflict that is just over a year Europe -- Europe want going on -- -- I don't -- here's one thing I've learned -- better -- You've got to be clear.
Both to our allies and our enemies about where you stand.
And what you mean.
And so clear when it came to.
Working for that agreement in Iraq and I'm joined now by Donald Rumsfeld who -- of course the secretary of defense under president George W.
Bush she's the author.
Of the memoir known and unknown secretary -- good morning good to have you with us today.
Good morning what was your overall impression of last night.
We'll leave the key issue just played.
I think was example of the evening.
The president kept interrupting governor Romney governor Romney was exactly correct.
The president of the United States said he wanted to status of forces agreement.
We have status of forces agreement all over the world and it they're not complicated they can be achieved.
And in fact he instructed the vice president and the secretary of state to get one and they failed.
And governor Romney was making that point now.
The other thing the president said it was totally inaccurate is that to have had that status of forces agreement and the possibility of some.
It's relatively small number of troops available to be in that country either in it or nearby.
I think would serve as a deterrent to Iran and it would have been beneficial not only to the United States but beneficial to.
To the Iraqi Government as they -- and and developed and it would have been a eight.
Very good signal.
To Iran that we do have capabilities in that part of the world.
As a deterrent so so I was I felt that the president was way off base saying something like that's not true which he set on a number of occasions.
And it was simply flat wrong.
It and have been reports that kite act has doubled in Iraq since that complete pullout.
And have been something like 4000 is is the estimate that I found of casualties in Iraq since we -- You know and there was so much discussion and you could say that this president really won the election based on his promise to pull out of Iraq but how do you think he handled the accent.
And you've touched on this but just one more time in terms of how we handled the -- And what the impact is -- our strength in the Middle East.
Well there's no question but that the ways Hamlet by his failure to have a status of forces agreement.
An understanding with the Iraqi Government.
That we would have a a template as to what we were capable or able to do in that country in the event there were some need to be there.
I think what saved a disastrous failure -- diplomatic failure on the part of the secretary of state and the vice president and the president of the United States.
All right is a former secretary of defense I wanna play this next sound bite for you and get your reaction to that's.
They look at our our decision that.
To cut back on our military capabilities.
A trillion dollars the secretary of defense called these trillion dollars -- cuts -- military.
Devastating.
Stop my turn to the president's own secretary defense called the devastating.
Think about that -- Well he's right I think that governor Romney was corrected to link the fact that if the United States continues to -- trillions of dollars of debt.
What that does is it sends a signal out across the globe.
That we are not responsible that our future's going to be less bright we're gonna be less engaged and we're gonna have to be.
Diminished and withdrawn because we will not have the capabilities to do it.
The idea that we could cut a trillion dollars over the next decade out of -- defense budget.
We have gone from 10% of gross domestic product for defense down to 4% today.
And the idea that the trillions of dollars.
-- that this administration is imposed on future generations is a result of defense spending is simply false it is not the case.
The growth -- in expenditures.
Is are clearly in entitlements there's no question about that and governor Romney was correct.
It what did you think about the moment when to the issue of Russia was brought up and governor -- at one point saying that he felt that Russia.
Was somewhat of a threat.
To to the United States EE you know.
Well that was.
An effort on the part of president to be dismissive of the governor and I mean the fact is the this administration came into office talking about a reset.
-- -- And -- we're gonna have a reset button.
And the effective it has been that on almost every issue.
Russia has opposed the United States in the United Nations with respect to Iran they've opposed this around the world.
And they are behaving in a way that is.
Unfriendly to the United States.
I think that that one of the most important things that -- governor Romney said last night hasn't really even been discussed and again in the in the media.
He said that this.
Problem with the radical Islamist terrorists is not going to be one with bullets -- we can't kill our way out of this problem.
But that we need to have relationships around the world where we get support.
In opposing radical islamists and and he's exactly right we need a strategy and we do not have a strategy.
It is today in this country as to how we're gonna deal -- that problem and as al-Qaeda continues to reconstitute.
And and and an attack.
Our friends and our people around the world as they have I think that the need for a strategy to deal with radical Islam is -- Is is increasingly obvious and the administration has failed terribly with respect.
Secretary Rumsfeld thank you without a lot went after -- -- his stick around from mama thank you sex more with him.
