The President on Nation-Building and the U.N.

October 11, 2000
During a debate with Vice-President Al Gore in Winston-Salem, N.C., giving his opinion of the American military intervention in Somalia:

“It started off as a humanitarian mission and that’s where the mission went wrong. The mission was changed. And as a result, our nation paid a price, and so I don’t think our troops ought to be used for what’s called nation-building. I think our troops ought to be used to fight and win war. I think our troops out to be used to help overthrow a dictator when it’s in our best interests. But in this case, it was a nation-building exercise.”

October 11, 2001
White House news conference to update effort to respond to September 11 attacks:

“We’ve got to work for a stable Afghanistan so that her neighbors don’t fear terrorist activity again coming out of that country…I believe that the United Nations could provide the framework necessary to help meet those conditions. It would be a useful function for the United Nations to take over the so-called nation-building.”

March 17, 2003
In a televised address warning Saddam Hussein to leave Iraq within 48 hours or face invasion from American-led forces:

“A broad coalition is now gathering to enforce the just demands of the world. The United Nations Security Council has not lived up to its responsibilities, so we will rise to ours.”

September 23, 2003
In a speech to the United Nations General Assembly:

“Helping Afghanistan and Iraq to succeed as free nations in a transformed region, cutting off the avenues of proliferation, abolishing modern forms of slavery – these are the kinds of great tasks for which the United Nations was founded.”

Thoughts?