Charles Skelton: “today I speak of duty. This is the third time that I have stood at this podium with the question of military action in…”

“today I speak of duty. This is the third time that I have stood at this podium with the question of military action in the balance. There is no more serious vote nor more sacred duty than this, deciding to ask those who serve this great country to go into harm's way. So it is a decision that must be taken soberly and deliberately. It must be taken mindful of the regional implications, and it must balance the risks of not acting with those of not acting prudently. Winston Churchill's book ``The Gathering Storm'' details the world's slide into holocaust. I point out, Mr. Speaker, that his book is subtitled ``How the English-Speaking Peoples, Through Their Unwisdom, Carelessness, and Good Nature, Allowed the Wicked to Rearm.'' Many of us saw firsthand the consequence of that rearmament. Never again, Mr. Speaker, never again. The issue of Iraq was never whether evil should be confronted, but how. My own questioning began in a letter to the President on September 4. My concerns were to emphasize multilateral action, understanding the implications of using military force for the United States' role in the world. We must have a plan for the rebuilding of the Iraqi government and society if the worst comes to pass and armed conflict is necessary. We must ensure that America's commitments to the war on terrorism and to other missions throughout the globe will be upheld.”