On November 21, 2001, Air Force Major General Victor ‘Gene’ Renuart, Jr., director of operations for General Tommy Franks at Central Command, “Picked up a call on a secure line from the Pentagon coming in from his counterpart there, Marine Lieutenant General Gregory S. Newbold… ‘Hey,’ Newbold said… ‘The [Defense] secretary’s [Donald Rumsfeld’s] going to ask you to start looking at your Iraq planning in great detail–and give him a new commander’s estimate.’ ‘You got to be shitting me,’ Renuart said. ‘We’re only kind of busy on some other things right now. Are you sure?’ “ When Renuart informed General Franks of the request, “Franks was incredulous. They were in the midst of one war, Afghanistan, and now they wanted detailed planning for another, Iraq? ‘Goddamn,’ Franks said, ‘what the fuck are they talking about?’ …’We’ll give them our best shot at it,’ he told…Renuart. …’Don’t get too worried. We’ll just do what we can.’ Franks added reassuringly, ‘Man, I just can’t imagine this is something we’re going to be doing anytime soon.’ “
– Bob Woodward, Plan of Attack, Pages 7-8, 31