- A sequence of six consecutive nines occurs in the decimal representation of the number pi (π), starting at the 762nd decimal place. It has become famous because of the mathematical coincidence, and because of the idea that one could memorize the digits of π up to that point, and then suggest that π is rational. The earliest known mention of this idea occurs in Douglas Hofstadter’s 1985 book Metamagical Themas…
You know, I have repeatedly defended President Bush against the left on Iraq, even though I think he should have waited until the U.N. inspections were over. I don’t believe he went in there for oil. We didn’t go in there for imperialist or financial reasons. We went in there because he bought the Wolfowitz-Cheney analysis that the Iraqis would be better off, we could shake up the authoritarian Arab regimes in the Middle East, and our leverage to make peace between the Palestinians and Israelis would be increased.
Bill Clinton, Interview with Time, June 2004