Political Quotes

“Because he's had every opportunity. We finally said this is the last step. We tried 15 dates in Baghdad. We tried to set up these meetings. And now we tried this one, and there wasn't one single reason to make me think that another meeting between the United States and Saddam Hussein--and the Iraqis would do any good at all. If I felt it would, fine. But it will not. I talked to the Secretary-General of the United Nations today, and there is a chance that he might undertake such a mission. Certainly we'd have no objection. There's one other reason--and I cite that because this is not Iraq against the United States. It is Iraq against the rest of the world. It is the United Nations that passed 12 resolutions, not the United States. It is the General Assembly of the United Nations-- 100-plus countries standing solidly against the dictator. And therefore, it doesn't need to be a bilateral negotiation here. We tried that. And we were stiff-armed by an intransigent Foreign Secretary. And so the answer is, if diplomacy can be effective now, let's keep it in the context in which these resolutions were passed. And I would hope that maybe it would have an effect, but I'd have to level with the American people: Nothing I saw today--nothing--leads me to believe that this man is going to be reasonable. So, back to Terry's question, I have less of a feeling that he'll come around. But we ought to keep trying. We ought to keep trying right down to the wire.”