Indeed, he warned, "Overwhelming force remains an option." Delaying such action "for even a matter of days would [give] Saddam more time to disperse his forces and protect his weapons."
Even with nations such as Russia, China and France disagreeing with the use of armed force, he said, "we remain ready to act."
No, the president delivering those assurances wasn't George W. Bush this week, nor his father a decade ago.
It was Bill Clinton who issued those threats in December 1998 - and later acted on them (albeit briefly and tentatively).
Which explains why congressional Democrats weren't singing the chorus of angry anti-war slogans and charges of "Pearl Harbor in reverse" that now emanate from the port side of Capitol Hill.
* "Saddam Hussein's objective is to maintain a program of weapons of mass destruction," said Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) back then. "It is important to hold him accountable by force. No one will question that it is Mr. Hussein who has precipitated this confrontation and no one else."
Nearly four years later, though, Kerry has started asking questions. He warns ominously that the president has failed to answer "the question to Mom and Pop in America as to why their young child may come home in a body bag."
In 1998, Kerry insisted "I would go beyond mere containment." But now that George W. Bush is commander-in-chief, Kerry (who'd dearly love to move into the White House himself) wants to know why America isn't pursuing a policy of containment.
* Kerry's fellow Bay Stater, Sen. Ted Kennedy, may be ranting now about "unilateralism run amok" under Bush. But when Clinton was giving the orders, he declared that "Saddam's refusal to cooperate with U.N. arms inspectors must be met with a firm response. I strongly support the president's actions."
* The two Democratic congressional leaders, Sen. Tom Daschle and Rep. Dick Gephardt, issued a joint statement hailing Clinton's "correct decision to undertake military action against Iraq at this time."
Indeed, they added, "Any delay would have given Saddam Hussein time to recontitute his arsenal of weapons of mass destruction."
* Today, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin is one of the biggest critics of a U.S. strike against Iraq.
Back then, however, he initiated a letter signed by 26 colleagues urging Clinton "to take necessary actions (including, if appropriate, air and missile strikes on suspect Iraqi sites) to respond effectively to the threat posed by Iraq's refusal to end its weapons of mass destruction."
All those Democrats were on record backing force at a time when weapons inspections had just been halted. Does anyone really believe that the situation has improved since then?
Were Republicans opposing the Democratic president in 1998? No: A House resolution supporting the attack and endorsing regime change in Iraq passed by 417-5.
There was some GOP skepticism - but only over the air strikes' politically suspicious timing: Clinton launched the attack one day before the vote on his impeachment. And he had, until then, consistently backed down when faced with the need for military force against Saddam.
Indeed, the White House flip-flopped on its Iraq policy from Day One of Clinton's administration. Clinton repeatedly threatened to go to war over weapons inspections. Later, he secretly undermined those same inspectors' ability to do their job .
At one point, Clinton even cancelled a military strike as B-52s were airborne and cruise missiles were about to be launched.
End result: Saddam Hussein was calling the shots by efffortlessly calling Bill Clinton's bluffs.
Even the impeachment-eve military strike effectively did little to cripple Saddam's weapons program or force his compliance with U.N. resolutions.
Maybe that's the real difference at work now: President Bush has an Iraq policy with a fixed objective - disarmament and regime change. And he's intent on actually achieving that goal.
What many Democrats can't stand is that, when it comes to Iraq, George W. Bush is no Bill Clinton. He won't just sit back and pray that Saddam Hussein magically disappears.
