A certain type of person - sadly the type of person who desires and attains power, often - definitely will let the entire world burn before admitting they made a mistake. And this isn't even admitting to a mistake in a way which would have consequences, like prosecution or resignation. I mean just an almost consequence-free "whoopsie, my bad."
Oldheads will remember I used to regulary ask why "we" were still in Iraq. Fundamentally, that was the reason. It wasn't just one person who couldn't admit to a mistake, it was the entire political-media class who couldn't. The next six months will be critical!
