Jon S. Corzine: “I believe Senator Levin's legislation represents a rational and measured approach to military action against Iraq's…”

“I believe Senator Levin's legislation represents a rational and measured approach to military action against Iraq's tyrannical regime. The Levin amendment emphasizes the importance of multilateralism and understands that the cooperation of the world community is an important component of American success in disarming Iraq and in Iraq's eventual reconstruction. As I said in my statement last night, if the world community is not with us when we take off, it will be hard to ask for their help when we land. Although the administration at times appears to believe otherwise, multilateralism is not an unnecessary inconvenience, but an important precondition for success not just for actions to disarm Iraq but more importantly is prosecuting our war on terrorism. We rely on other countries for logistics, intelligence, and overflight rights. We have called on other countries to help cover the costs of previous military engagements. And we rely on other countries to provide peacekeepers to help restore law and order around the globe, including most recently in Afghanistan. However, if we adopt a unilateral approach, we undermine cooperation of the world community we have so often enjoyed.”