Dean's Conflicting Iraq Comments Draw Scrutiny

On whether the U.S. should ever invade:

* "I'm not against attacking Saddam Hussein, but we can't do it without a good reason, and so far the president has not made the case." -- news conference, Sept. 19, 2002

* "We may very well have to go into Iraq. What is the rush? Why can't we take the time to get our allies on board? Why do we have to do everything in a unilateral way? It's not good for the future of the foreign policy of this country to be the bully on the block and tell people we're going to do what we want to do." -- "Face the Nation," Sept. 29, 2002

* "It's conceivable we would have to act unilaterally, but that should not be our first option," -- Des Moines Register, Oct. 6, 2002

* "I think Saddam must be disarmed. The problem I have is that I have a deep reluctance to attack a country unilaterally without a pretty high standard of proof." -- Associated Press, Feb. 5, 2003

* "I believed that the proper way to remove him, should he need to be removed, was through the United Nations. And I never wavered from that." --news conference, Concord, N.H., Dec. 10, 2003

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Compiled by Times researcher Vicki Gallay

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Los Angeles Times