On March 17, 2003, “In France, [foreign minister] Dominique de Villepin declared, ‘We are advancing to war [in Iraq] even though today it is possible to disarm in peace. Is war today really necessary? It is not, because the [weapons] inspections are going ahead on the ground.’ ”
– Todd S. Purdum and The New York Times Staff, A Time of Our Choosing, Page 90