Jim Langevin: “as I take the floor this evening I am humbled by the task at hand and the paths that have led us to this point. When I…”

“as I take the floor this evening I am humbled by the task at hand and the paths that have led us to this point. When I arrived in Congress last year, I never imagined that we would witness cruel attacks on our own soil, that we would lead a war against terrorism across the globe or that we would contemplate returning to Iraq to address the ongoing threat of Saddam Hussein, all in less than 2 years. Yet, we did not choose these circumstances. Instead, they found us; and it is our responsibility to act in a careful and appropriate manner to protect the United States, its people, its allies and our ideals. Authorizing the use of military force is one of the most important decisions Congress can make; and as a member of the House Committee on Armed Services, I do not take it lightly. Last month, I held a listening tour in Rhode Island to understand my constituents' concerns about military action in Iraq. I spent many hours being briefed in the Committee on Armed Services and in the White House by senior administration officials and other experts. From these conversations, I have grown increasingly alarmed by the widening body of evidence that Saddam Hussein poses a grave and expanding threat to the security of the United States.”