Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I wish to call my colleagues' attention to a situation associated with our increasing dependence on Iraq. Let me share with you a picture of Saddam Hussein, who is no stranger to this body. The title is: ``Oil as a Weapon.'' As we address the disposition of the resolution which the President has sent up to this body for action, we should recognize a few hard realities, and that is oil is funding terrorism, oil is funding the economy of Iraq, in spite of the efforts through the United Nations to try and control that funding, and the inconsistency of our policy where we are increasing our dependence on Iraqi oil, even at a time when we are contemplating going to war with Iraq, is indeed an inconsistency of a magnitude to which I think more Members should relate. If one reflects on the number of sorties we have flown over a period of time starting in 2000, even though we have been enforcing the no-fly zone since about 1992, Iraqi forces fired at Allied forces 642 engagements in 2000; 647 in 2001; and 480 times so far this year. What is happening is we are enforcing the no-fly zone. Allied forces returned fire 46 times so far this year. In the last weekend alone, Iraqi forces shot at allied forces 14 times. Iraqi forces have fired anti-aircraft artillery over 1,100 times, 600-some-odd rockets, fired nearly 60 surface-to-air missiles. This is not a game we are playing. We are basically in a limited war.”