Bill Clinton Says Iraq War "Was a Big Mistake"

Speaking today to college students in Dubai, UAE, President Bill Clinton condemned the 2003 US attack on Iraq. This is the first time Clinton has publicly criticized the Bush Administration's handling of the US invasion and occupation of Iraq.

AP reports in the British newspaper, The Guardian, "Former President Clinton told Arab students Wednesday the United States made a ' big mistake'' when it invaded Iraq, stoking the partisan debate back home over the war. Clinton cited the lack of planning for what would happen after Saddam Hussein was overthrown.

' Saddam is gone. It's a good thing, but I don't agree with what was done,' Clinton told students at a forum at the American University of Dubai.

' It was a big mistake. The American government made several errors ... one of which is how easy it would be to get rid of Saddam and how hard it would be to unite the country.''

Clinton's remarks came when he was taking questions about the U.S. invasion, which began in 2003. His response drew cheers and a standing ovation at the end of the hour-long session.

'The mistake that they made is that when they kicked out Saddam, they decided to dismantle the whole authority structure of Iraq. ... We never sent enough troops and didn't have enough troops to control or seal the borders,'' Clinton said. As the borders were unsealed, ' the terrorists came in,' he said."

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY), married to the former president, made no comment on Bill Clinton's remarks. (It's widely known, though, that they rarely disagree about policy....) The senator has recently come under criticism by many Democrats for supporting a continuing US presence in Iraq, and for her lack of support for a specific timetable for withdrawal of US troops.
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