U-Turns The Neocon Way

David Frum, Mr Bush's "axis of evil" speechwriter, reportedly believes failure in Iraq is inescapable and the president is to blame. Other well-known neocons also have critical things to say about administration competence. In a furious response collated online by National Review magazine, several interviewees are now claiming their views were misrepresented. Mr Perle does not deny specific quotes attributed to him, but says a promise not to publish his remarks before the elections was broken. For the record, he says, "we are on the right path" in Iraq. Mr Frum calls Vanity Fair's excerpts "dishonest". He says he did not intend to criticise Mr Bush but rather his "malfunctioning" national security council. Contrary to the magazine's Neo Culpa headline, he is not remorseful about past judgments. "Obviously I wish the war had gone better. It's true I fear that there is a real danger that the US will lose in Iraq," he says. "And yes, I do blame a lot that has gone wrong on failures of US policy ... (But) my fundamental views on the war remain as they were in 2003." http://www.guardian.co.uk/midterms2006/story/0,,1941232,00.html

Note: http://www.guardian.co....