Skip to content
quotesby

I voted to hold Saddam Hussein accountable. I knew we had to hold him accountable. There's never been a doubt about that. But I also know that if we had done this with a sufficient number of troops, if we had done this in a globalized way, if we had brought more people to the table, we might have caught Saddam Hussein sooner. We might have had less loss of life. We would be in a stronger position today with respect to what we're doing.

John Kerry#8

PolicyWarLeadershipAccountabilityStrategy

About this quote

What does it mean?
Kerry argues that holding Saddam Hussein accountable was correct but execution mattered.
In plain terms
Holding leaders accountable is right, but planning affects outcomes.
What can you take from it?
Strategy and international cooperation matter in accountability.

Where it applies

  • foreign policy
  • military intervention

Putting it to work

  • planning interventions
  • building coalitions

Questions to consider

  • What makes accountability effective?
  • How do we weigh costs in war?

Another view

Retrospective critique ignores the uncertainty of past decisions.

More from John Kerry

  1. I said at the time I would have preferred if we had given diplomacy a greater opportunity, but I think it was the right decision to disarm Saddam Hussein, and …

    Permalink to quote #7
  2. We're going to keep pounding. These guys [Bush Administration] are the most crooked, you know, lying group I've ever seen. It's scary.

    Permalink to quote #9
  3. If you don't believe...Saddam Hussein is a threat with nuclear weapons, then you shouldn't vote for me.

    Permalink to quote #6

Related quotes

  1. Victory means exit strategy, and it's important for the President to explain to us what the exit strategy is.

    George W. BushGeorge W. Bush quote #3
  2. ...the idea that she belongs in front of a war tribunal is not something I can dignify with a response. Miss Rice presides over a wide range of choices, a wide…

    Condoleezza RiceCondoleezza Rice quote #45
  3. Some say our approach is really just more troops for the same strategy. In fact, we have a new strategy with a new mission: helping secure the population, espe…

    George W. BushGeorge W. Bush quote #237