As has been noted by others (particularly by Rachel Maddow at time index 3:14 in this video www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/42924561#42924561), one of the most telling statements by Condoleezza Rice during the Lawrence O'Donnell interview of 5/5/2011 (at time index 9:24 of the video www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkiMCLr83oA) is:
Condoleezza Rice: "But...you know...you don't get to get up in the morning and say...you know...my intelligence might be wrong. You have to act on the intelligence that you have...and that's the intelligence that we had...at the time."
This sounds a lot like Donald Rumsfeld's statement (at time index 0:20 of the following video www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jPgljRvzQw):
Donald Rumsfeld: "You go to war with the army that you have...not the army that you might want or wish to have at a later time."
Both statements are indicative of a compulsion to act instead of to reflect or to prepare, respectively. In light of these sorts of statements, it is no wonder that the Bush Administration failed in virtually every one of its endeavors.
This, however, is the wrong way to look at their failures: their failures did translate to large profits for certain mercenary elements of this society. Therefore, Republican politicians and their appointees (including both Rice and Rumsfeld) specialize in uncritical thinking, hindsight-generated foresight and abysmal apparent-failure. Sadly, these specialties almost always benefit them and their true constituents greatly.