General Tommy Franks, the CENTCOM commander and lead commander of the Iraq invasion, said of Douglas Feith: "I have to deal with the fucking stupidest guy on the face of the earth almost every day." This quote, which appears on page 281 of Bob Woodward's 'Plan of Attack' (2004), became one of the most widely cited characterizations of Feith and the Iraq War planning failures. Franks' frustration stemmed from the post-war planning process and Feith's role in politicizing intelligence.

As Deputy Secretary of Defense, Wolfowitz was part of the civilian leadership that directed General Tommy Franks in planning and executing the Iraq invasion. Wolfowitz pushed for a lighter, faster invasion force in line with his belief -- inherited from mentor Albert Wohlstetter -- that wars could be won through high-tech capabilities rather than massive troop deployments. This approach contributed to the insufficient post-invasion force that could not maintain order.

General Franks received the Presidential Medal of Freedom alongside Tenet and L. Paul Bremer on December 14, 2004. Tenet and Franks collaborated during the 2001 Afghanistan campaign and the 2003 Iraq invasion, with CIA covert teams operating alongside military forces.