Darrell Issa: “I join my many esteemed colleagues today in support of this resolution authorizing the President to use force against…”

“I join my many esteemed colleagues today in support of this resolution authorizing the President to use force against Iraq. This is an historic moment for our country--a moment that should not be taken lightly. This is hopefully the last chapter in a long saga of our country's effort to deal with the threats of Saddam Hussein and his cruel regime. We have already given Saddam every chance to prevent war. We have spent ten years working through multilateral institutions, diplomatic channels, and the United Nations, trying to convince him to change. We have tried using sanctions to control his access to weapons. We have tried sending weapons inspectors into Iraq to find and dismantle his weapons of mass destruction. Mr. Speaker, none of these efforts have brought any success. On the contrary, Saddam has only continued his brutal oppression of his own people, his weapons of mass destruction programs, and his support for terrorist groups that are committed to attacking America. Over the past ten years, he has made a mockery of the United Nations and multilateral diplomacy.”