Tony Thurmond: “In closing, Mr. President, let me once again urge my colleagues to support the bipartisan compromise on missile defense.…”

“In closing, Mr. President, let me once again urge my colleagues to support the bipartisan compromise on missile defense. It is a positive step that all Members should be able to endorse. I yield the floor. Exhibit 1 A Timely Reminder From Iraq (By Robert Dole) When Saddam Hussein's son-in-law and former chief of mass destruction bolted, apparently threatening to tell all, the Iraqi director preempted and sent us the loudest wake-up call we are likely to get on the growing threat of weapons of mass destruction. As we finish up the Department of Defense Authorization Bill, it's time to heed that call. According to their belated admission, the Iraqis filled nearly 200 bombs and warheads for ballistic missiles with botulinum toxin, anthrax spores and aflatoxin. In addition to the shockingly advanced nuclear weapons program already revealed, Iraq now says it ran a second program to develop a nuclear weapon by April 1991 with material diverted from nuclear power reactors. The latest revelations from Baghdad underscore four points. First, arms control treaties and export controls did not prevent Iraq from pursuing its deadly aims. Don't get me wrong--diplomatic efforts increase the cost, time and technical challenge required to acquire weapons to mass destruction. We should press on with them. The point is simply that diplomacy does not prevent malevolent countries like Iraq from acquiring these weapons and there are a number of countries of Iraq's ilk out there.…”