Joe Biden: “2 days ago the President ordered a forceful response to Iraq's aggression against its own Kurdish minority. The question…”

“2 days ago the President ordered a forceful response to Iraq's aggression against its own Kurdish minority. The question before us is whether the Senate supports the action taken by our President. Some have expressed concerns that go beyond the scope of that question. They have raised points that could be the matter of legitmate debate--but that debate should be reserved for another day. We are not debating the history of American diplomacy with respect to Iraq. We are not debating the future of American security policy in the Persian Gulf. We are simply being asked to state whether or not we support the actions initiated by the Commander in Chief; Whether we support the troops fulfilling his orders; and, whether we condemn Saddam Hussein's aggressive actions. These are weighty matters in and of themselves. We should not cloud the debate by injecting extraneous issues. I intend to support the resolution before us because I believe that the forceful response ordered by the President was both necessary and appropriate. Saddam Hussein has demonstrated repeatedly that he only understands the language of force.”