William Helms: “the most fundamental and painful of decisions--whether to authorize the President to send U.S. military personnel to…”

“the most fundamental and painful of decisions--whether to authorize the President to send U.S. military personnel to war--is being confronted by the Senate today, previous days, and maybe more days. I believe the decision is in good hands. I have had the privilege of serving in this body for nearly 30 years. The men and women in this chamber are the respected servants of the American people. I have faith in my fellow Senators. For 3 days in August and 2 days in September, the Foreign Relations Committee heard testimony on the possibility of American military action against Iraq. We heard 23 witnesses, including current and former Secretaries of State, former National Security Advisors, a number of experts on Iraq from academia and from prominent research institutes, an important defector from Iraq's nuclear weapons program, retired senior level military officers, and former members of U.N. inspections teams in Iraq. The chairman of the committee, Senator Biden, deserves our thanks for conducting these hearings in a fair and comprehensive manner. The hearings established some fundamental points that deserve repeating here on the floor. First, the threat posed by the Iraqi regime to American national security is serious and growing.”