A member of the press inquired of President George W. Bush if there would be a change in the policy on Iraq since al Qaeda had reconstituted itself: “Yes. Well, first, I — we’re making great progress in the war against terror. But as I told our citizens, and have been repeatedly telling our citizens, this is a long war. And it’s going to take a while to fully rout al Qaeda. We don’t know whether bin Laden is alive or dead. You know, they keep floating supposed letters and — or radio broadcasts. We do know that al Qaeda is still dangerous. And while we’ve made good progress, there’s a lot more work to do. As I’ve repeatedly said, our thoughts about Iraq relate to the war on terror, and that dealing with — or getting Saddam Hussein to disarm is all part of making the world more peaceful. And it’s all part of the war against terror.”
– Transcript, “President Condemns Attack in Bali,” George W. Bush – White House Archives online, Accessed on 7/13/2016