President Broadens Anti-Hussein Order (washingtonpost.com)

We're not supposed to assassinate foreign leaders. That would be wrong. Obviously, it's much better that we kill thousands of their subjects and then capture them. Then, presumably, we turn them over the Belgians. The CIA was authorized, in this instance, to use lethal force to capture Saddam. And there as absolutely no chance he might wind up dead in a firefight. Right. Oh, wait, I see, they could kill him in self-defense. I hope they carry drop pieces.

I have no problem with killing Saddam. I think we'd be a lot better served by that -- especially if we can somehow escape blame -- than by invading Iraq, for right now, anyway. I'm more upset with our acceptance of this aristocratic notion that the life of a "leader" is more important than that of ten thousand soldiers. I was upset with the Euros when they were afraid for Yasser's life a while back, for the same reason.

Bob Woodward wrote this article. However, there is no made-up dialogue.