President Bush met with members of the national security team at Camp David on September 15, 2001, to discuss the nation’s response to the terrorist attacks. “Dealing with Iraq would show a major commitment to antiterrorism,’ [Secretary of Defense] Donald Rumsfeld said. [Secretary of State] Colin [Powell] cautioned against it. ‘Going after Iraq now would be viewed as a bait and switch,’ he said. ‘We would lose the UN, the Islamic countries, and NATO. If we want to do Iraq, we should do it at a time of our choosing. But we should not do it now, because we don’t have linkage to this event.’ [CIA Director] George Tenet agreed. ‘Don’t hit now. It would be a mistake,’ he said. ‘The first target needs to be al Qaeda.’ “
– George W. Bush, Decision Points, Page 189