Rand Paul: “I rise to urge the Congress to think twice before thrusting this Nation into a war without merit, one fraught with…”

“I rise to urge the Congress to think twice before thrusting this Nation into a war without merit, one fraught with danger of escalating into something no American will be pleased with. Thomas Jefferson advised, ``Never was so much false arithmetic employed on any subject as that which has been employed to persuade nations that it is in their interests to go to war.'' We have for months now heard plenty of false arithmetic and lame excuses on which we must pursue a preemptive war of aggression against an impoverished, third-world nation 6,000 miles from our shores that does not even possess a navy or air force, with the pretense that it must be done for national security interests. For some reason, such an attack makes me feel much less secure while our country is made more vulnerable. Congress must consider the fact that those with military experience advise a go-slow policy, and those without military experience are the ones demanding this war. We cannot ignore the fact that all Iraq's Arab neighbors are opposed to this attack and our European allies object as well. If the military and diplomatic reasons for policy restraint make no sense, I advise they consider the $100 billion it will cost and that will surely compound our serious budgetary and economic problems we face here at home. We need no more false arithmetic on our budget or false reasons for pursuing this new adventure into preemptive war and worldwide nation-building.”