Political Quotes

“as was alluded to by the gentlewoman from Colorado, after that debate, after the bipartisan decision that it was Congress' responsibility to decide whether we would go to war, we voted on the question. You could have heard a pin drop in this Chamber. People were waiting to see what would happen. It prevailed. President Bush's position prevailed. And even those, and I was one, who were critical of the idea of engaging in that war then said the debate is over. We stand behind the men and women whose lives are on the line. And we went forward, united as a Nation, to a swift and decisive victory. Now, I know when the Constitution was written wars were conducted in a much different fashion. It took months, sometimes years, to muster an army and to bring about a war. There was plenty of time for deliberation. We live in a different time. The Commander in Chief of the United States, the President, has that express authority in the Constitution. He must respond to emergencies immediately. He cannot wait for Congress to debate it. The President of the United States as Commander in Chief must take defensive actions immediately. He cannot wait for a committee hearing. But in a Persian Gulf war situation, with a premeditated deliberation, we had a chance as a nation to decide as a nation what we would do. This decision today, if we adopt the Hyde amendment, completely walks away from this congressional opportunity and responsibility.”