Alberto Fernandez, director of public diplomacy in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs at the State Department, officially apologized for his public comments criticizng the Iraq War, the Washington Post reported today. Speaking to the pan-Arab television station Al-Jazeera, Mr. Fernandez said our actions in Iraq reflected "arrogance and stupidity":

Speaking in Arabic, Fernandez discussed topics such as the United States' willingness to talk with insurgent groups in an effort to advance national reconciliation in Iraq.

"We tried to do our best," he said during the interview, which aired late Saturday. "But I think there is much room for criticism because, undoubtedly, there was arrogance and there was stupidity from the United States in Iraq."

"Upon reading the transcript of my appearance on Al-Jazeera, I realized that I seriously misspoke by using the phrase 'there has been arrogance and stupidity' by the U.S. in Iraq," Fernandez said in the statement. "This represents neither my views nor those of the State Department. I apologize."