John Negroponte

Negroponte: I Would Have Waited Longer Before Invading Iraq

Brian Beutler | August 26, 2010, 11:41AM

Former U.S. Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte

Former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq John Negroponte now says if he'd had his way, the invasion of Iraq wouldn't have proceeded quite like it did. In fact, he would have waited until weapons inspectors finished their job and the U.N. had passed a resolution backing the war before sending U.S. troops to Iraq.

In an interview with Mainichi Shimbun, one of the largest newspaper's in Japan, Negroponte took issue with part of the Bush administration's conduct.

According to a translator, Negroponte essentially acknowledged that the Bush administration "didn't give proper justification" for the war and "was too optimistic about what would happen after the fall of Saddam."

Reached by email, Negroponte took issue with Mainichi Shinbun's characterization, but effectively confirms much of it.

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