“Upon signing the congressional resolution [to use force in Iraq] on October 16 [2002], [President] Bush assuaged the fears of those who thought it was a declaration of war. ‘I have not ordered the use of force,’ he said. ‘I hope the use of force will not become necessary. Hopefully this can be done peacefully. Hopefully we can do this without any military action.’ He added that he has ‘carefully weighed the human cost of every option before us,’ and that he will only send troops ‘as a last resort.’ ”
– Craig Unger, The Fall of the House of Bush, Page 267