William L. Clay: “Mr. Speaker, over the last few weeks my constituents in St. Louis have made their opinions clear to me regarding the…”

“Mr. Speaker, over the last few weeks my constituents in St. Louis have made their opinions clear to me regarding the President's positions regarding Iraq, and I hear great opposition to war against Iraq. I hear mothers, fathers, seniors, college students and veterans opposing any action in the region. Their voices are black, white, Asian and Hispanic. And while the reasons for their opposition vary, the one common question they all seem to have is this: How does this conflict serve America's best interest? I, along with many Americans, believe that the state of our sagging domestic economy has to be considered our Nation's greatest concern at this time. In the past year and a half this country has experienced increasing unemployment, growing national debt, tumbling economic growth, and a floundering stock market which has lost all consumer confidence. Despite all this, our domestic issues have been pushed aside as we debate a possible preemptive attack against Iraq. Important issues like education, Social Security, unemployment, and affordable health care have been almost completely ignored by this diversion.”