Date: 2002-10-09
Speaker: TOM DAVIS (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Virginia

Mr. Speaker. I thank _ the gentleman for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker. if there is anything that 911 and the events of that day taught us. it is that our policy of containment and deterrence does not work against terrorists who are willing to blow themselves up and. at the same time. innocent civilians. I rise in support of this historic resolution. fully aware that this may be one of the most important votes this body casts. We all hope that we can disarm Iraq without bloodshed. That is our goal. We all hope and pray that risking the lives of the women and men of our Armed Forces will prove unnecessary. We hold out hope that this time. against the recent tide of history. Saddam will allow U.N. inspectors full access. free of deception and delay. But if the events of 911 and ongoing intelligencegathering have shown us anything. Mr. Speaker. it is that we must remain ever vigilant against the new and growing threat to the American way of life. Terrorists who are willing to commit suicide to murder thousands of innocents will not be halted by the conventional means and policies of deterrence we have deployed. . The greatest danger we face is in not acting. in assuming the terrorists who are committed to destroying our Nation will remain unarmed by Saddam. The first strike could be the last strike for too many Americans. Mr. Speaker. we know enough at this point about the specific dangers posed by Iraq to make this resolution unavoidable: large stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons. an advanced and stillevolving nuclear weapons production program. support for and the harboring of terrorist organizations. the brutal repression and murder of its own civilian population. and the utter disregard for U.N. resolutions and dictates. Mr. Speaker. we know enough. We all applaud and support the Presidents commitment to working with the U.N. Security Council to deal with the threat that Iraq poses to the United States and our allies. I continue to hope and pray for a peaceful. internationally driven resolution to this crisis. but I believe that passing this resolution strengthens the Presidents hand to bring this about. * But with the events of September 11 still fresh in our minds and in our hearts. we cannot rest our hopes on the possibility that Iraq will comply with U.N. resolutions. Iraq has defied the United Nations openly for over a decade. Today we are being asked to fulfill our responsibilities to our families. our constituents. and our Constitution. and I think we have to give the President the appropriate tools to proceed if Saddam does not cooperate with the arms inspectors and comply with existing U.N. resolutions. While we should seek the active support of other nations. we must first and foremost protect our homeland. our people. and our way of life. Mr. Speaker. I pray for the best as we prepare for the worst. Today. we recognize that there may come a time in a moment when we realize that we are involved in a profound global struggle in which Saddams regime is clearly at the epicenter on the side of evil. when it becomes clear there are times when evil cannot be appeased. ignored. or simply forgotten. when confrontation remains the only option. There are moments in history when conscience matters. in fact. when conscience is the only thing that matters. I urge my colleagues to vote their con-. science and acknowledge the danger confronting us. by not entrusting our fate to others. by demonstrating our resolve to rid the world of this menace. I urge this with a heavy heart. but a heart convinced that if confrontation should be required. we are ready for the task.