ABC Interview with Secretary Powell

"A nation that practices terror, that is developing weapons of mass destruction that could fall into the hands of terrorists and that was willing to use those weapons had to be dealt with. And the UN for 12 years had been trying to deal with Iraq and did not succeed. So the President -- and boldly accompanied by Prime Minister Howard and Prime Minister Blair and so many other leaders -- decided it was time to act in the name of the international community and safety of the international community. So we didn't believe it was a detour in the war against terrorism at all. The war against terrorism continues. We're rolling up al-Qa'ida cells. They are still dangerous and we've got to stay with it. It's going to be a long war, as the President said at the very beginning."

"There are clues and there are indications that there were contact between [Iraq and Al Qaida], but we're not overstating the case that there is solid evidence that would connect, for example, Saddam Hussein with what happened on 9/11. But we're still uncovering information and I think we have presented this in a balanced, careful way."

"What I presented last February 5 was not something I made up in my office. It was a product of the intelligence community -- and not just the United States intelligence community, but other intelligence communities around the world that helped us with information -- and the director of central intelligence, his deputy and all of the other leaders of our intelligence community stood behind that presentation. We didn't hype it. If it wasn't multisourced, we didn't use it. And I stand behind it."

"[Saddam Hussein] had the intention and he had the capability and, if he was ever released from UN sanctions or the pressure that was being applied against him, I don't think any thinking person can believe he was suddenly going to decide, "I don't have to have this capability any more." Now, we have not found yet large stocks of weapons, so we don't yet know and can't establish what he had in the way of inventory, but what he had in the way of programs to generate inventory and what he had in the way of intentions is absolutely clear and so we stand by that."

"And a lot of the material I presented in February last was what happened to stocks of botulinum and anthrax. He wouldn't account for what happened. And so his failure to account condemned him right then and there to be in further material breach of his obligations."