In a statement he made at the Pentagon on February 17, 1998, President Bill Clinton said: ” ‘Now, let’s imagine the future. What if he [Saddam] fails to comply [with the UN Security Council], and we fail to act, or we take some ambiguous third route which gives him yet more opportunities to develop this program of weapons of mass destruction and continue to press for the release of the sanctions and continue to ignore the solemn commitments that he made? Well, he will conclude that the international community had lost its will. He will then conclude that he can go right on and do more to rebuild an arsenal of devastating destruction. And some day, some way, I guarantee you, he’ll use the arsenal. And I think every one of you who’s really worked on this for any length of time believes that, too.’ ”
– Douglas Feith, War and Decision, Page 355