BRIT HUME: President Bush met each day with his national security team and repeatedly declared that what had happened would not stand. He made one man the focus of his efforts. And he reached out around the world for help in opposing him.

He mobilized American forces, calling up reserves, and getting a resolution from Congress to authorize the use of force. That may sound like 2001. But it also describes the events of 10 years ago, the prelude to the Persian Gulf War. I'm joined now by a man who was in the midst of that in every meeting at the president's side. He is retired Air Force General Brent Scowcroft, the first President Bush's nation security adviser.

Welcome, sir.

BRENT SCOWCROFT, FORMER NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: Nice to be with you, Brit….

HUME: Now, the president has suggested that this is -- they've been able to attack us on our territory, and we've been in the defensive posture, therefore, that we need to move against them in their regions, and, therefore, keep them on the run. Is that likely to be true almost in perpetuity here as we struggle with terrorism?

SCOWCROFT: It's -- perpetuity is a long time.

HUME: That is a long time.

SCOWCROFT: But it will likely be true for some time, yes, for some years. I mean, we've never been completely free of terrorism of one sort or another.

HUME: Now, you know how it is in the immediate atmosphere of this in a media atmosphere and with public discussion. You're hearing all kinds of attacks. Well, one, it might come next week. It could come in a matter of days and so forth.

SCOWCROFT: That's right.

HUME: Would you be inclined to discount that?

SCOWCROFT: Yes. I think, probably, this attack has spent itself. There may still be some teams out that didn't get their airplanes or so on and so forth. But I think the instructions probably are calm down now. You know, we've done the aircraft bit. Now we'll turn to something else because...

HUME: Right. What about our response? You keep hearing predictions that we're going to be doing something imminently. Now, I know you're not on the inside -- I'm not therefore asking you for a secret here -- but don't these things tend, at least in my memory, to take a lot longer than expected, as a rule?

SCOWCROFT: Yes.

Imminently, again, is -- I think it's a matter of probably of weeks, rather than days. First of all, you've got to decide what it is you're going to do, and whether what you're going to do will have the effect you want it to have.

When President Clinton was faced with the bombing of the embassies in Africa, we attacked a pharmaceutical plant in Sudan and we attacked an Osama bin Laden camp in Afghanistan. The camp was empty. The pharmaceutical plant turned out to be just a pharmaceutical plant. The effect: We looked weak. We looked like we don't know what we're doing.

So you've got to make sure that what you do has the effect that you want it to have.

HUME: Now, is it important, in real terms -- not in political terms - - but in real terms, that there be some early action on our part here, even if preliminary action?

SCOWCROFT: I don't know that there is in real terms. There certainly is in political terms. The president has to appear to be in charge. He has to appear to be responding. And the more nothing happens, people say: Well, he's wavering. He's lost his nerve.

And he loses the leadership position, which I think the president has now established quite well. So he needs to -- he needs to keep that up, but...

HUME: So even his national security advisers, wary of the fact that his political standing affects his ability to do the serious, long-term job, may be trying to get him some options for something he could do early?

SCOWCROFT: Well, I think -- you know, you want to do it as early as you can and do the right thing.

HUME: So you're looking for something that's useful to do and something you can do early?

SCOWCROFT: Absolutely. And Osama bin Laden is probably the right place to start. But you got to find him first.

HUME: Right. Does it have to be him or could it be...

SCOWCROFT: Well, it doesn't have to be, but you have to do discernible -- something discernible. And cruise missiles, bombs from 30,000 feet aren't going to do it.

HUME: So if you were a military planner, you would be looking for some -- we have to be thinking about some kind of special forces operation?

SCOWCROFT: That's what I would be looking for, yes.

HUME: And based on what you have recalled about what -- you know, what kind of states of play in that part of the world, is this the worst place we could be going to try to do this -- the hardest?

SCOWCROFT: It is pretty hard. Afghanistan is wild country. It is landlocked. They're only a couple of ways that we can reasonably expect to get in, get permission. And the main one, of course, is across Pakistan. This is not an easy job, even if you can find him.

HUME: And, of course, we're talking about an easy short-term job. Is the overall long-term objective a brighter picture -- last question?

SCOWCROFT: Yes. But it will take time and it will take patience. But if we can keep our friends and allies with us, supporting us with their own intelligence, with people who are willing to help, we can do it.

HUME: General Scowcroft, great to have you. Thanks for being here.

SCOWCROFT: Nice to be with you, Brit.