George W. Bush had earlier noted that Americans “had no quarrel with the people of Afghanistan,” only with Al Queda and their Taliban supporters. He even employed this phrase in his final State of the Union address in 2008, saying that “Our message to the people of Iran is clear: We have no quarrel with you….Our message to the leaders of Iran is also clear: Verifiably suspend your nuclear enrichment, so negotiations can begin.”
1990年，乔治·H·W·布什又搬出了同样的理由：“我们与伊拉克人民无怨无仇。”他的儿子在2003年也说过同样的话，并补充说“他们是萨达姆·侯赛因压迫的牺牲者。”乔治·W·布什早先还曾说过美国人民“与阿富汗人民无怨无仇”，我们所针对的只有基地组织及其塔利班支持者。他甚至将这写进了2008年最后一次国情咨文讲话，称“我们对伊朗人民的态度非常明确：我们与你们无怨无仇…我们对伊朗领导人的态度也非常明确：在国际社会的监督下停止你们的铀浓缩活动，这样才能开始谈判。”