Chuck Hagel: “I find that I am asking myself the unescapable question-- are we preparing to send our young men and women to war…”

“I find that I am asking myself the unescapable question-- are we preparing to send our young men and women to war because we just all expect that this is the thing to do because we don't know what else to do? That is not good enough. There is something very surreal about all the war talk, and war preparation being played out in this matter of fact tone on international TV with every talk show panelist in the world presenting his or her theories and options on war in Iraq--when most all of them have never been to war, prepared for war or understand the first thing about the horrors of war. Our national defense is the guarantor of our foreign policy. I don't know if we have a long term policy on Iraq other than maintaining the U.N. sanctions and enforcing the resolutions, but that's not a foreign policy. If we are to commit America to war, it should be to enforce our foreign policy--just going to war alone is not enough. We must have an overall long term policy to enforce. The reason for war must be connected to more than just short-term sanctions enforcement. It is my opinion that if we exercise any military option it must be accompanied by and attached to creative geopolitical elements of a comprehensive policy toward Iraq--geopolitical elements such as Secretary Perle listed yesterday. In the long run, how do we realistically get rid of Saddam Hussein? That's the policy question we should have been focused on over the last seven years.”