President George H.W. Bush in White House National Security Directive 54: “Access to Persian Gulf oil and the security of key friendly states in the area are vital to U.S. national security. Consistent with NSD 26 of October 2, 1989, and NSO 45 of August 20, 1990, and as a matter of long-standing policy, the United States remains committed to defending its vital interests in the region, if necessary through the use of military force, against any power with int erests inimical to our own. Iraq, by virtue of its unprovoked invasion of Kuwait on August 2, 1990, and its subsequent brutal occupation, is clearly a power with interests inimical to our own.”
– George Bush Presidential Library and Museum – 41, “White House National Security Directive 54 – Subject: Responding to Iraqi Aggression in the Gulf,” Jan. 15, 1991, Accessed online 3/10/2016