On September 20, 2001, “a large group of neo-conservatives outside the government sent an open letter to the White House outlining how the war on terror should be conducted. In fact, it was more an ultimatum than a suggestion. They told [President] Bush that to retain the signers’ support, the United States had to pressure Syria and Lebanon to sever ties with Hezbollah, an organization on the State Department’s terror list. They demanded that Bush bring bin Laden to justice, but also they demanded that he attack Iraq and overthrow Hussein ‘even if evidence does not link Iraq directly to the [September 11] attack.’ Among the signers of this letter were Midge Decter, Charles Krauthammer, William Kristol, Norman Podhoretz, and Defense Policy Board members Eliot Cohen and [Defense Policy Board Adviser Richard] Perle.”
– Stefan Halper and Jonathan Clarke, America Alone, Page 149