Mike Pence: “after much study, reflection and prayer, I rise in support of the resolution authorizing the use of force against Iraq.…”

“after much study, reflection and prayer, I rise in support of the resolution authorizing the use of force against Iraq. While I am certain that little of what we say here will be long remembered, I am also confident that this is a time of conscience and judgment for this Congress. We will be subject to the judgment of the American people and of the world. Time will judge us. History will judge us. And each of us will also answer to him who created and sustains this very Earth we inhabit. And when that judgment is rendered what of the verdict, Madam Speaker? I grieve at the very thought of the United States in armed conflict, and I cannot escape the thought of the American families that may be called upon to send their loved ones into harm's way on our behalf. It is a terrible burden, yet one from which we dare not shrink or retreat. For it is not just peace or liberty that hang in the balance, but, as our President has said, potentially the lives of millions. For we decide today whether and in what manner our great Republic might call upon its military arsenal to compel a persistent enemy to disarm and embrace the civilized world and its principles. Madam Speaker, the United States does not seek to start a war. We seek to finish one. For Saddam Hussein has been America's warring foe for more than a decade. In 1991, we ceased hostility. We ended the battle. But, Madam Speaker, his war took no respite. It shows no mercy.”