Historian Timothy Naftali wrote: “Unbeknownst to any of the principal actors in this drama, May 2003 was the height of the Bush counterterrorism offensive. Iraq was under U.S. occupation, and three-quarters of the pre-9/11 leadership of al Qaeda had been captured or killed.” [The 15th of the month used for date sorting purposes only.]
– Julian E. Zelizer, ed., The Presidency of George W. Bush, Pages 77-78