That was then ...

"A new regime [in Iraq] would have become the United States' responsibility. Conceivably, this would have led the United States into a more or less permanent occupation of a country that could not govern itself, but where the rule of a foreign occupier would be increasingly resented."1 - Paul Wolfowitz, explaining in 1997 why the U.S. did not seek regime change during the Gulf War

1. Paul Wolfowitz, "The United States and Iraq," in The Future of Iraq, ed. John Calabrese (Middle East Institute, 1997), pp. 107-13.

Quote and reference found in Rise of the Vulcans: The History of Bush's War Cabinet by James Mann.