State Dept. Official on Al Jazeera: US is Arrogant and Stupid

Sat, Oct 21, 2006 at 6:53:16 pm PDT

In which universe is this considered acceptable diplomatic language? Envoy: U.S. showed ‘arrogance’ in Iraq.

And on JihadTV, to boot.

BAGHDAD, Iraq - A senior U.S. diplomat said the United States had shown “arrogance” and “stupidity” in Iraq but was now ready to talk with any group except Al-Qaida in Iraq to facilitate national reconciliation.

In an interview with Al-Jazeera television aired late Saturday, Alberto Fernandez, director of public diplomacy in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs at the State Department offered an unusually candid assessment of America’s war in Iraq.

“We tried to do our best 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.