President George W. Bush concerns regarding the Operation Iraqi Freedom: “One of the big concerns early on was the Southern oil fields. As you all remember, we had discussions about that. There was a lot of speculation about whether or not coalition forces would be able to get to the Southern oil fields in time, before — so that Saddam Hussein wouldn’t destroy them. As a matter of fact, I had frequently talked about the Southern oil fields — or oil fields in general — in my declaratory policy.”
– Transcript, “President Discusses Military Operation,” George W. Bush – White House Archives online, Accessed on 7/18/2016