Richard Gephardt: “this vote today is taking place on the wrong day, and we are doing it in the wrong way. I am disappointed and I am…”

“this vote today is taking place on the wrong day, and we are doing it in the wrong way. I am disappointed and I am saddened by the actions of the majority, in both the timing and in the method that we are considering the most important act that the Constitution asks us to perform. The actions of the majority, in my view, show a lack of common sense and decency, and is not befitting of our beloved House. As I said yesterday, when our young soldiers, men and women, are in harm's way, we should not be debating and considering and talking about removing our Commander in Chief. If we believed that this would go on for days and days, I could understand the decision to go forward today. I do not believe it will go on for days and days, and I believe that we send the wrong message to Saddam Hussein, to the British, to the Chinese and to the Russians, to be on the floor of this House today, when we could be here Sunday or Monday or Tuesday. I guess I am worried also that some of us do not want to be inconvenienced. Our young people are inconvenienced today who are in the Persian Gulf. They are being shot at, and they stand in danger, and with all my heart I believe the least we could do is postpone this debate to a different day.”