Rumsfeld says he's surprised at war toll [View All]

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Defense secretary admits misjudging resistance in Iraq
By MICHAEL HEDGES
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON -- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld admitted Thursday that he has been surprised by the heavy toll in blood inflicted on American forces in recent days.

The pugnacious Pentagon chief, asked at a news briefing whether he had made any mistakes concerning the war in Iraq, came close to a rare admission of miscalculation, conceding that he failed to foresee the level of resistance facing U.S. forces in Iraq a full year after the fall of Baghdad.

"If someone had said, `Would you, a year ago, have expected you would be where you are at the present time?' one would not have described where we are," Rumsfeld said. "I certainly would not have estimated that we would have had the number of individuals lost that we have in the last week."


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