Tom Lantos: “Mr. Speaker, today is a day I hoped I would never have to face, a day on which I would need to support the use of force.…”

“Mr. Speaker, today is a day I hoped I would never have to face, a day on which I would need to support the use of force. I am sure that all of my colleagues agree that when we took the oath of office to honor and defend our country, we hoped and prayed we, as Members of Congress, would not have to use force to defend this Nation. On Tuesday morning, however, we all knew that the only response that would be understood by the evil force that undertook these treacherous actions would be the powerful response of the greatest military force in the world, the United States military. However, our resolve must be based on the rule of law and reflect the lessons learned from history. The use of force is not something that we as Americans take lightly. America is a peace-loving Nation. Our involvement in World War II is the strongest example of America's peace-loving ways. We waged war on ruthless Naziism that threatened the very concept of humanity and the lives of entire races of people. Today we face another global threat, terrorism, which once again threatens the foundation of all peace-loving nations.”