The Deleted Text

[kentuck]

The Pentagon removed the following text from Bob Woodward's Oct. 23 interview with Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld before posting the transcript on the Web:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28866-2004Apr20.html

<snip>
Question: Because these countries, Jordan particularly, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait needless to say made giant commitments and you know hung it all out and I think there are times in the last week where I think March 14th the Saudi Ambassador Prince Bandar came up here to talk to you because he was worried. I think he had seen the President, that we weren't going to go. You recall that?

Rumsfeld: I met with him on occasion.

Q: And I think the President said don't start -- not you.

Rumsfeld: Have you met with the Vice President? You're not going to meet with the Vice President are you?

Q: Well I hope so.

Rumsfeld: I doubt it.

Q: You know better than I.

Rumsfeld: I remember meeting with the Vice President and I think and I met with a foreign dignitary at one point and looked him in the eye and said you can count on this. In other words at some point we had had enough of a signal from the President that we were able to look a foreign dignitary in the eye and say you can take that to the bank this is going to happen.

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