Powell before the war: Saddam Hussein "has not developed any significant capability with respect to weapons of mass destruction."

"And frankly they [Iraq sanctions] have worked. He [Saddam Hussein] has not developed any significant capability with respect to weapons of mass destruction. He is unable to project conventional power against his neighbors. So in effect, our policies have strengthened the security of the neighbors of Iraq, and these are policies that we are going to keep in place...."

Colin Powell, at a February 24, 2001 press conference, explaining why Saddam Hussein does not pose a threat to the U.S.