We got rid of a terrible dictator. We gave the Iraqi people an opportunity for a new life under a representative form of government.
Colin PowellHave fun in your command. Don't always run at a breakneck pace. Take leave when you've earned it, spend time with your families.
Colin PowellOnly when you have got a clear statement of what you want to achieve, do you ask yourself how you are going to achieve it. In the military we are taught never to go for a single answer, no matter how obvious that might be.
Colin PowellBaghdad fell on April 9, 2003, Hussein and his regime were brought down, we declared "Mission Accomplished" and celebrated victory . . . and chaos erupted. We did not assert control and authority over the country, especially Baghdad. We did not bring with us the capacity to impose our will. We did not take charge. And Iraq did not in a few weeks magically transform itself into a stable nation with democratic leaders. Instead a raging insurgency engulfed the country.
Colin Powell