Daily Inspiration Quote by Lawrence Eagleburger

Eagleburger’s sentence is doing what high-level diplomats do best: holding two contradictory truths in the same hand without dropping either. Yes, Saddam Hussein is framed as an eventually unavoidable problem, but no, the clock isn’t automatically set to “now.” The power of the line sits in that calibrated tension. It reassures hawks that the speaker shares their diagnosis (Saddam as a chronic threat) while quietly depriving them of the prescription (immediate action).

Notice the layering of justifications: “general reputation” comes first, then “what I’m convinced he’s done” on terrorism. “Reputation” is diplomatic code for a mix of intelligence, rumor, and political narrative - something widely believed and strategically useful, even when not courtroom-ready. “Convinced” is similarly careful: it signals confidence without offering proof, a rhetorical bridge between classified information and public persuasion. Eagleburger is both validating the post-Gulf War consensus about Saddam’s menace and acknowledging that the case for urgency is weaker than the case for inevitability.

The key phrase is “not at all sure.” It’s not handwringing; it’s a strategic brake. In the pre-9/11, sanctions-and-containment era, Washington routinely treated Iraq as a long-term file, not an emergency. Eagleburger’s intent is to keep policy flexible: preserve credibility on security, avoid being stampeded into a timetable, and hint that timing matters as much as moral certainty. The subtext: if you can’t convincingly answer “why now,” you shouldn’t start a war you’ll own later.