After all, we didn't bring democracy to Germany in 1945; Hitler destroyed democracy there first.

I think America has to do more than be a broker now. Because both the Palestinians are weak and Israel is very weak.

Much of what we know about mathematics and trade comes from the Arabs. Then came stagnation, and now they're the West's whipping boy. This is a problem that cannot be solved overnight, and certainly not militarily.

My point was that removing Saddam should not have been our highest priority. Fighting terrorism should have been our number one concern, followed by the Palestinian peace process.

Perhaps the most troubling area in the world goes from the Balkans through the Middle East and in Central Asia.

To sum up, the position we took was that since we didn't know the internal situation in Iraq nor Saddam Hussein, that our best bet was to take counsel from the people who did know him and who did deal with him.

It is beyond dispute that Saddam Hussein is a menace.