Woodward Knocks Emanuel for 'Starting from Scratch' Remark

October 28, 2009 11:31 PM

ABC News' Brittany Crockett and Teddy Davis Report:
 
The Washington Post's Bob Woodward said Wednesday that the Obama administration's suggestion that the U.S. is "starting from scratch" in Afghanistan is an "extraordinary' statement which will prove hurtful to military families."

"Rahm Emanuel was on and what he said was extraordinary," said Woodward, referring to remarks the White House chief of staff made earlier this month on Sunday morning television. "He is a participant in all of these meetings about strategy and he said, 'We're starting from scratch after eight years."

"Imagine the impact on the military," said Woodward. "For example, if you lost someone in your family in that war, [imagine] someone speaking through the president of the United States saying, 'We are starting from scratch.'"

Emanuel offered his "starting from scratch" remarks as a way of explaining why President Obama has not yet completed his review of Afghanistan policy.

Former Vice President Cheney recently took Emanuel to task for the comment, saying that it ignores that the Bush administration conducted a review of Afghanistan policy in the fall of 2008.

Sen. Ted Kaufman, D-Del., a former Biden aide who co-chaired the vice president's transition team, recently confirmed to ABC News that the Bush-Cheney report was, indeed, presented to Obama officials.

He noted, however, that the incoming team did not place much stock in it because it came from an administration that had neglected Afghanistan in order to pursue the war in Iraq.

Woodward, who broke the news from Gen. Stanley McChrystal that the U.S. faces "mission failure" in Afghanistan if more troops are not added soon, made his remarks at a policy discussion that was co-sponsored by the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington as well as the Bob Schieffer School of Journalism of Texas Christian University.

Woodward was joined on the panel by CBS News' Kimberly Dozier, PUL's Mariam Nawabi, and CSIS' Anthony Cordesman.

The discussion was moderated by Schieffer, who also is moderator of CBS News' "Face the Nation."