Oops, Did I Say That?

Here is what Chuck Hagel (R-NE) and Joe Biden (D-DE) said in 2002 about the war in Iraq:

Although no one doubts our forces will prevail over Saddam Hussein's, key regional leaders confirm what the Foreign Relations Committee emphasized in its Iraq hearings last summer: The most challenging phase will likely be the day after -- or, more accurately, the decade after -- Saddam Hussein.

Once he is gone, expectations are high that coalition forces will remain in large numbers to stabilize Iraq and support a civilian administration. That presence will be necessary for several years, given the vacuum there, which a divided Iraqi opposition will have trouble filling and which some new Iraqi military strongman must not fill.

The Corner, via the Instapundit. Hmm, by my count we are in a bout year 3 since Saddam's capture, almost year 4. That leaves about 6 to go, but then I do my math in the real world.