On the recordSeptember 18, 2014
There are moments when Members of the Senate have to reflect on the responsibility we are given--extraordinary moments, unlike other votes that we cast--because at least part of this important spending bill relates to U.S. military involvement in the Middle East. Reality tells us people will die if there is conflict. Of course we hope it will be the enemy, but we know better. Even some of our people are at risk to die in any military undertaking. So every Member of the Senate should take this vote seriously, and I am sure they do. I remember October 11, 2002, as if it were yesterday. I was here in the Senate, weeks away from an election, and we were asked to vote on the invasion of Iraq. The buildup to this vote was overwhelming. The President and others--the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, the head of the CIA, and a long list--had made the case to the American people that there were weapons of mass destruction in the hands of Saddam Hussein; and that if we didn't move in, strike, and stop him, they could threaten our allies, friends, and even the United States. We debated that and voted on it. It was late at night on October 11, 2002. I remember that vote as if it were yesterday. At the end of that vote, 23 of us had voted no against the invasion of Iraq--one Republican, Senator Chafee of Rhode Island, and 22 Democrats.…
