|
Yesterday, I addressed the employees and guests of Virtua Hospital
in Voorhees to offer my reasons for supporting possible military action
against Iraq. As I stated yesterday, I do not take the prospect of
war lightly and I have thought long and hard about this decision.
I recognize that by authorizing the President to use military action against
Iraq that there is a possibility that our young men and women who serve
in our Nation's military will be placed in harm's way. Despite all
of this, I believe that this is the right decision for our country given
the tremendous threat posed by Saddam Hussein. Based on knowledge
obtained through classified briefings I have attended, I am certain that
Iraq possesses weapons of mass death, including chemical and biological
weapons.
On September 19, 2002, I was asked by President Bush to be part of a
working group of approximately 10 members of Congress (only three of whom
were Democrats) responsible for writing and passing the Iraq Resolution.
This proposal, which was finalized last week, grants broad powers to the
President to take any necessary action, including the use of military force,
to compel Iraq to meet the United Nations demands that Iraq abandon all
weapons of mass destruction. I am pleased that the Democratic
Leader, Dick Gephardt, is supporting this Resolution. Dozens of Democrats
will join with us. This is truly a bipartisan effort. President Bush
deserves credit for laying out our case before the United Nations and the
American people. While military action may not be imminent, I will
support giving the President the option if it is deemed necessary.
My colleagues and I will vote on this measure this week. I plan
to continue to work with President Bush to build a bi-partisan consensus
for this proposal. |
|
