Cord Byrd: “Tonight at 8:00 p.m., President Bush will make a televised address to speak to the Nation about the threat of Iraq.…”

“Tonight at 8:00 p.m., President Bush will make a televised address to speak to the Nation about the threat of Iraq. According to press reports from this weekend, the President is expected to lay out, in detail, his case against Saddam Hussein, including the repressive dictator's long history of violence and aggression. There is no disagreement about the character of Saddam Hussein, neither on Capitol Hill nor in the minds of every American. But while the President continues to make his case against Saddam Hussein, the issue on the minds of Senators and our constituents is, what exactly is the United States planning to do? Rather than hearing more about Saddam Hussein--we know enough about him--what we need to hear from the President are answers to our questions about what he plans to do in Iraq. We need to know why the President is demanding that we act now. We need to have some idea of what we are getting ourselves into, what the costs and consequences may be, and what the President is planning to do after the fighting has stopped. After Iraq. After Saddam Hussein. It is not unpatriotic to ask these questions, especially when they are already on the minds of all Americans. Why now? Those two little words: Why now? Why now? What has changed in the last year, 6 months, or 2 weeks that would compel us to attack now? Is Iraq on the verge of attacking the United States? If so, should our homeland security alert be elevated?”