'Arrogant' US has failed, says spin doctor

Washington's top foreign affairs spin doctor has described US policy in Iraq as "a failure," and accused his government of "arrogance" and "stupidity." Speaking in Arabic on Aljazeera television Alberto Fernandez, director of public diplomacy at the state department's Bureau of Near Eastern affairs, gave viewers an unusually sharp assessment of the administration's efforts in Iraq. He spoke in the past tense, as though it was all over. "We tried to do our best [in Iraq], but I think there is much room for criticism because, undoubtedly, there was arrogance and there was stupidity from the United States in Iraq," he said. "If we are witnessing failure in Iraq, it's not the failure of the United States alone. Failure would be a disaster for the region." The Bush administration often condemned the Qatar-based Aljazeera, and even bombed its studios in Baghdad and Kabul. But recently it has adjusted policy and started using its few Arabic-speakers to appear on discussions and debates. It thought it had found a good way to get its line across. But Fernandez was franker than his paymasters expected. A state department spokesman, Sean McCormack, claimed on Oct. 22 that Fernandez had been mistranslated, and said he had disputed the description of his comments. Asked whether he thought Washington could be judged as arrogant, McCormack–who was in Moscow with Condoleezza Rice–snapped "No." However, a transcript by the Associated Press confirmed the accuracy of Fernandez's reported quotes. Among several controversial statements, Fernandez ruled out a military solution in Iraq. He said the US was ready to talk with any Iraqi group–with the exception of al-Qaida–to reach national reconciliation and try to end sectarian strife and the nationalist insurgency. "We are open to dialogue because we all know that at the end of the day the solution to the hell and the killings in Iraq is linked to an effective Iraqi national reconciliation," he said. "Sooner or later we and all those who are concerned with Iraq must sit together and establish some dialogue. This is the only way forward." The Iraqi government and some US commanders have made fleeting efforts to contact the insurgency's leaders, but have always insisted that there can be no amnesty for people who have killed US citizens. Fernandez's comments suggest that some US officials now admit that there must be a broader attempt to negotiate an end to Iraq's bloodshed. The independent study group under the former secretary of state James Baker, which is due to report next month, is expected to recommend a number of new options for Washington, but it is not clear whether it will go as far as Fernandez in pressing for a political, rather than a military, solution. Leaks have suggested it may call for more emphasis to be put behind the regional talks which Iraq's government is holding with its neighbors. The US has not taken the talks seriously. Fernandez made some of his most critical remarks when he was asked by his Arab questioner about splits between the Pentagon and the state department over who had made the "mistakes" in Iraq. "It is difficult for any politician in whatever administration to admit mistakes, because people in the east as well as the west don't like to admit they have made mistakes or are wrong," he replied. "This is the mentality of the people, the mentality of power, authority, autocratic thinking. This is reality." He at least satisfied Washington by taking issue with those in the Middle East who gloat over Iraq's problems. "Saving Iraq is vital for the sake of Iraqis and the whole region, not just for the US," he said.