Darrell Issa: “Mr. Speaker, I have to admit to a great deal of confusion tonight. A number of my colleagues are convinced that war is…”

“Mr. Speaker, I have to admit to a great deal of confusion tonight. A number of my colleagues are convinced that war is the only action; some believe it should never be an option; and most, I think, join with me and think that it should be an issue of last resort. Like most of my colleagues, I have received volumes of mail from my constituents, and their opinions mirror the confusion which exists in this body tonight. What troubles me is I have heard members of my party indicate in the press that the issue of war with Iraq has sucked the air out of Democratic message; and, sadly, I have heard Members on the other side of the aisle complain of the same thing. The thought that this issue where we are talking about certain casualties, Iraqi, American, and those of our coalition partners, that those would be used for an advantage by either side in mid-term elections is repugnant to me and the people I represent in Ohio. When I have an 84-year-old Republican grandmother in Ashtabula, Ohio, grab my arm and say, Congressman, we have never attacked another sovereign country in our history without first being attacked, I am moved.…”