I believe we should focus our efforts first and foremost against those who attacked us on September 11 and who have thus far gotten away with it. the vast majority of those who sponsored, planned and implemented the cold-blooded murder of more than 3000 Americans are still at large, still neither located, nor apprehended, much less punished and neutralized. I do not believe that we should allow ourselves to be distracted from this urgent task simply because it is proving to be more diffucult and lengthy than was predicted. Great nations persevere and then prevail...
I believe that we are perfectly capanle of staying the course in the war against Osama bin Laden and his terrorist network, while simultaneously taking the steps necessary to build an international coalition to join us in taking on Saddam Hussein in a timely fashion. If you're going after Jesse James, you ought to organize your posse first. Especially if you're already in the middle of a gunfight with somebody who's out after you.
— Al Gore in 2002...shortly before Bush invaded Iraq