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Skriven 2006-10-09 23:31:34 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0610091) for Mon, 2006 Oct 9
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Setting the Record Straight: Bob Woodward On "Meet The Press"
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For Immediate Release
October 9, 2006

Setting the Record Straight: Bob Woodward On "Meet The Press"


ÿÿÿÿÿ Setting the Record Straight

On "Meet The Press," Bob Woodward Implies The Administration Waited Until
It Knew Woodward Possessed A Secret Pentagon Report To Release A Public
Report Showing Increasing Violence In Iraq.ÿ RUSSERT: "One of the things
they say is you keep saying that the level of violence against American
troops was a secret. They say a public report was given to the American
people, which demonstrated  said just that."ÿ WOODWARD: "After I took the
secret document, which I have here, I mean, I hate to show secret documents
on television, but I guess I'll have to. Why was this document secret?"ÿ
RUSSERT: "When did you show that to the administration?"ÿ WOODWARD: "In
May, June, and then, couple of months later, the exact information was made
public. They knew I had it. Now, I mean, just look at what that shows. If
that was  that's what's called a pattern, increased violence. It even has
gone up in the last couple of months. That's the reality. They were keeping
it classified until I got a hold of it."ÿ (NBC's "Meet The Press," 10/8/06)

The Administration Has Been Consistently Transparent About Terrorist
Violence In Iraq
  þ 

    Within Days Of The May 2006 Secret Report Cited By Woodward, The
    Pentagon Released A Public Report To Congress (The May 2006 "9010
    Report").ÿThe Pentagon's public report showed increasing attacks by
    terrorists in Iraq.ÿ In fact, the same chart cited by Woodward was in
    the May report, and that report also said violence was at an all-time
    high.ÿ (Department Of Defense, Report To Congress, "Measuring
    StabilityÿAnd SecurityÿIn Iraq," 5/2006, Available At:
    http://www.defenselink.mil/pubs/pdfs/May%2006%20Security%20and%20Stabil
    ty%20Report%20Final%20with%20errata.pdf, Accessed 10/4/06)
  þ 

    In His Book, Woodward Misleadingly Charges That The Administration
    Claimed Violence In Iraq Was Decreasing.ÿWoodward confuses how the
    Pentagon's public 9010 report defines our opposition in Iraq.ÿ Woodward
    inaccurately claims the public report defined "Iraqi rejectionists" as
    "former regime loyalists, Saddamists, and terrorists, including al
    Qaeda."ÿ(Bob Woodward, State Of Denial, 2006)
      þ 

        The Public Report Expressly Defines "Rejectionists" As An
        Independent Category  Wholly Distinct From "Former Regime
        Loyalists, Saddamists, And Terrorists, Including Al Qaeda."The 9010
        Report said, for example: "Anti-government and anti-Coalition
        violence in Iraq derives from many separate elements, including
        Iraqi Rejectionists, former regime loyalists (including
        Saddamists), and terrorists, such as Al-Qaida in Iraq_ÿ Each of
        these groups has divergent and often incompatible goals; _
        Therefore, to categorize the violence in Iraq as a single
        insurgency or a unified 'opposition' is both inaccurate and
        misleading."ÿ
      þ 

        The President's "National Strategy For Victory In Iraq" Defined
        These Three Distinct Enemy Elements And The Different Strategies
        For Defeating Them.ÿ Rejectionists are mostly ordinary Sunni Arabs
        who have not embraced the shift from Saddam's tyranny to a
        democratic Iraq.ÿ Unlike terrorists who must be killed or captured,
        "we judge that over time many in this group will increasingly
        support a democratic Iraq provided that the federal government
        protects minority rights and the legitimate interests of all
        communities." ÿ(National Security Council, National StrategyÿFor
        VictoryÿIn Iraq, 11/30/05, Available At:
        http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/iraq/iraq_national_strategy_20051
        130.pdf, Accessed 10/4/06)
  þ 

    The Excerpt From The Public Report That Woodward References Is About
    The "Appeal And Motivation" Of Rejectionists It Is NOT About Violence
    Caused By Insurgents Or Terrorists.ÿÿIt is accurate and consistent
    toÿnote that terroristsÿand insurgents will "retain the capabilities"
    to "sustain violence levels through 2007," but that "appeal and
    motivation for rejectionist elements will wane in 2007" as the
    political process consolidates with full Sunni participation.ÿ

On "Meet The Press," Woodward Claims The Administration Said The Terrorists
Were In "Retreat."ÿ RUSSERT: "They say the President in May and throughout
the year has always said Iraq is difficult, going to be more difficult.
Saying exactly..." WOODWARD: ÿ"But, but, but he didn't say that. He said
it's hard, everyone knows it's hard, but he said the terrorists are in
retreat."ÿ (NBC's "Meet The Press," 10/8/06)
  þ 

    The Pentagon's Public Report Says Terrorists Elements In Iraq, Such As
    Al Qaeda, Remain "Resilient."ÿ"Of the groups described above,
    terrorists and foreign fighters posed the most serious and immediate
    threat during this reporting period.ÿ Although the overall level of
    support to terrorists and foreign fighters among Iraqis is apparently
    declining, Al-Qaida in Iraq (AQI), which is suspected of conducting the
    attack on the Golden Mosque in Samarra and of escalating violence
    between Sunni and Shi'a, remains intent on instigating civil war to
    derail the Iraqi government. Although AQI has been unsuccessful in
    driving Iraq to civil war, Sunni and Shi'a Arab reprisals elevated the
    level of violence throughout this period."
  þ 

    The Public Report Contains Charts Showing An Increasing Trend In
    Violence And Casualties.ÿFar from hiding an increasing trend in
    violence, the report notes that "overall, average weekly attacks during
    [this] period were higher than any of the previous periods."ÿ

  þ 

    The Statistics Woodward Claims To Have Been Hidden From Public View,
    Were Clearly Presented In The Same Public Report On Which He Bases His
    Charge.ÿÿ

  þ 

    President Bush Has Been Clear With The American People That We Are In A
    Tough, Critical Struggle.ÿTHE PRESIDENT:"Our nation has been through
    three difficult years in Iraq. And the way forward will bring more days
    of challenge and loss."ÿ (President Bush, Remarks, Chicago, IL,
    5/22/06)
      þ 

        President Bush: "The [Iraqi] Government Is Still A Work In
        Progress, And Overcoming Longstanding Divisions Will Take Time.
        Iraq's New Leaders Know They Have A Great Deal Of Work Ahead To
        Broaden The Base Of Their Government And To Unite The
        People."ÿ(President Bush, Remarks, Chicago, IL, 5/22/06)
      þ 

        President Bush's December 2005 Address To The Nation: "Yet Our Work
        Is Not Done. There Is More Testing And Sacrifice Before Us."ÿ
        (President Bush, Address To The Nation, Washington, DC, 12/18/05)

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