Vice President Dick Cheney was preparing to visit Egypt, Oman, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan, Israel, and Turkey. “On March 6 [2002], [Central Command leader General Tommy] Franks briefed Cheney in Washington. The general had a top secret paper that he had worked out with [Secretary of Defense Donald] Rumsfeld on what was needed from each country…All these Arab or Muslim countries would be publicly against a war, but nearly all privately wanted Saddam out. Their assistance would have to be clandestine to one degree or another. Franks provided Cheney a profile of each leader and intelligence chief…Cheney’s mission was to turn up the pressure in each country, to make a sounding of how their leaders felt about Iraq.”
– Bob Woodward, Plan of Attack, Page 111