Timothy Roemer: “I want to begin by quoting General William Sherman in the Civil War who simply stated, ``War is hell.'' And I can also…”

“I want to begin by quoting General William Sherman in the Civil War who simply stated, ``War is hell.'' And I can also say, having visited the Pentagon the night of the attacks on September 11 and visiting New York City at Ground Zero just a few days after the attacks, that terrorism is hell; and the pain and agony that that has inflicted on our country, on men and women and children and families, has been excruciating. And this resolution that we debate in this Chamber today and will vote on tomorrow is one of the most difficult, heart-stabbing, gut-wrenching votes that one can cast. My first vote as a freshman was on the Persian Gulf War, which had something to do with Saddam Hussein invading Kuwait, and now one of my last votes will be on war. And in between, we have had votes on Somalia and Kosovo and Bosnia, and we have had a vote to declare war on terrorism. These are difficult, excruciating votes that I think every Member in this body takes extremely seriously. I will vote in favor of the President's resolution for three reasons. One is because of the chemical and biological and nuclear threat that Saddam Hussein poses with these weapons.”