New York (CBSNEWS): The first Pentagon insider to give his account of the run-up to war says the attack on Iraq was more a defensive move against possible future threats from Saddam Hussein than a retaliation for the 9/11 attacks. Douglas Feith, the former undersecretary of defense for policy, also tells Steve Kroft that the Pentagon failed to foresee the insurgency or the need for more troops to prevent the post-war chaos that included looting. Feith’s interview will be broadcast on 60 Minutes Sunday, April 6 (7-8 p.m., ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

“What we did after 9/11 was look broadly at the international terrorist network from which the next attack on the United States would come,” says Feith, the number-three person in the Pentagon’s hierarchy from 2001 to 2005. “Our main goal was not merely retaliation for the 9/11 attack, it was preventing the next attack,” he says. Pressed by Kroft on the importance of punishing the 9/11 plotters, Feith responds that retribution was important, but “It was also important to go after the broader network … and prevent whatever plans there were for following attacks.”

Feith concedes this line of thought could rationalize attacks on other countries, including North Korea, Syria and Iran. But he says Saddam’s attacks on his Middle Eastern neighbors, use of chemical weapons on his own people and his interest in building a nuclear weapon made Iraq a special case. “In an era where weapons of mass destruction can put countries in a position to do an enormous amount of harm, the old idea of having to wait until you actually see the country mobilizing for war doesn’t make a lot of sense,” says Feith.

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In addition, readers might also be interested in reading this piece by Vanity Fair… about actions taken after 9/11, Guantanamo, and detainee interrogations:

Vanity Fair Article