Glenn English: “in this body our first and highest responsibility is protecting our homeland, and that responsibility may from time to…”

“in this body our first and highest responsibility is protecting our homeland, and that responsibility may from time to time require us to embrace unpopular policies and justify them to our constituents when we recognize a transcendent danger to our country. Mr. Speaker, I realize my vote for this resolution authorizes a military action that may put at risk thousands of American lives in Iraq. However, the tragedies of September 11 have vividly highlighted the danger that inaction may risk tens, if not hundreds of thousands of innocent American lives here at home from terrorism. This bipartisan resolution was drafted in recognition of this fact and, therefore, presents our President with the initiative in continuing the global war against terrorism. Mr. Speaker, we know that Saddam Hussein, like Osama bin Laden, hates America and has called for the murder of Americans everywhere. We know that Saddam Hussein even in the face of crippling economic sanctions has found the resources to reconstruct his chemical and biological weapons programs, even at great painful expense to his people. We know that Saddam Hussein is directing an aggressive program to procure components necessary for building nuclear devices and that he actively supports terror in other nations, including Israel. So the question before us is, do we wait for Saddam Hussein to become a greater threat, or do we address that threat now?”