12/20/2006

During an interview conducted by author Barton Gellman on December 20, 2006, Aaron Friedberg, a Princeton professor of international relations who consulted for Vice President Dick Cheney, commented on Cheney’s formulation of Iraq policy, saying: “part of Cheney’s calculation was to show ‘we were able and willing to strike at someone. That sends a very powerful message.’ ‘Demonstration effect’–that was Friedberg’s term for it. ‘The demonstration effect is not just to be a tough guy but to reestablish deterrence,’ he said. ‘We had been hit very hard [on 9/11], and we needed to make clear the costs to those who might have been supporting or harboring those who were contemplating those acts.’ ”

 – Barton Gellman, Angler, Page 231