US: President Bush yesterday reached beyond his tight circle of trusted aides to solicit the views on Iraq of former secretaries of state and defence, including some who have publicly criticised his policy.
The former officials, who served in administrations dating back to President Kennedy, attended a meeting with Mr Bush, secretary of state Condoleezza Rice and Donald Rumsfeld.
They were briefed by Gen George Casey, the US commander in Iraq, and Zalmay Khalilzad, US ambassador to Iraq.
At the meeting were Lawrence Eagleburger, secretary of state to George H Bush, Alexander Haig, secretary of state to Ronald Reagan and William Perry, defence secretary to Bill Clinton.
Other former secretaries of state present included Madeleine Albright, James Baker and George Shultz. Former secretaries of defence included William Cohen, James Schlesinger, and Robert McNamara. McNamara (89) served under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson and was a key architect of early US policy in Vietnam.