Milestones

Ten years ago: President Bush said he was “not optimistic” that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein would withdraw from Kuwait without a fight.

Five years ago: In the first hint of movement at the budget talks, White House officials and Democratic leaders said they were preparing a seven-year budget-balancing plan.

One year ago: AFL-CIO chief John Sweeney welcomed the collapse of World Trade Organization talks in Seattle saying, “No deal is better than a bad deal.”