President George W. Bush, when giving the commencement address at the University of South Carolina: “So today I want to discuss with you a great goal for this nation. We will use our influence and idealism to replace old hatreds with new hopes across the Middle East. (Applause.) A time of historic opportunity has arrived. A dictator in Iraq has been removed from power. (Applause.) The terrorists of that region are now seeing their fate, the short, unhappy life of the fugitive. Reformers in the Middle East are gaining influence, and the momentum of freedom is growing. We have reached a moment of tremendous promise, and the United States will seize this moment for the sake of peace.”
– Transcript, “President Bush Presses for Peace in the Middle East,” George W. Bush – White House Archives online, Accessed on 7/18/2016