Matteo Renzi: “in days when wars were fought with bows and arrows, the international doctrine of self-defense said that a nation should…”

“in days when wars were fought with bows and arrows, the international doctrine of self-defense said that a nation should not go to war unless attacked. But in these days of weapons of mass destruction and in these days following September 11, we no longer enjoy such a privilege. Americans cannot gamble on the false hope that Saddam Hussein, who has already killed one million of his own people, will not team up with the al Qaeda terrorists who have the intention and the determination to kill a million Americans. This lethal combination of Iraqi stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction and the al Qaeda network of international terrorists is too much to be left in the hands of the U.N. Security Council. For those who think we have no reason to fight, no reason to ever go to war, I ask you to envision a Saddam Hussein who is the new hidden financier behind the al Qaeda network, a Saddam Hussein as a secret arms broker for the al Qaeda network, and a Saddam Hussein who has become the new leader of the al Qaeda network. This is why Americans must choose to put their future in the hands of the American administration, in our own military. Our future and your children is dependent upon us and our Nation protecting itself. This wounded beast, the Iraqis, this wounded beast, the al Qaeda network, will team up and come after us like a wounded beast, like a wounded bear.”