UNSCOM arms inspectors were withdrawn in December 1998 at a sensitive time
in US politics, as Bill Clinton faced impeachment over the Monica Lewinsky
affair. Clinton launched a 4-day series of strikes, Operation Desert Fox, the day before his impeachment referendum was scheduled, and called them off
two hours after the vote. Ritter notes that just prior to the strikes,
"Inspectors were sent in to carry out sensitive inspections that had nothing
to do with disarmament but had everything to do with provoking the Iraqis."
(p.52)

In a report published on the second day of bombing, Ritter was quoted as saying:

"What [head of Unscom] Richard Butler did last week with the inspections was
a set-up. This was designed to generate a conflict that would justify a
bombing." Ritter said US government sources had told him three weeks earlier
that "the two considerations on the horizon were Ramadan and impeachment".
Ritter continued:

"If you dig around, you'll find out why Richard Butler yesterday ran to the
phone four times. He was talking to his [US] National Security adviser. They
were telling him to sharpen the language in his report to justify the bombing."
(Quoted, New York Post, 17 December, 1998)