Stephen Miller: “I have signed on as an original cosponsor of the Iraq resolution that our President has proposed, and I would like to…”

“I have signed on as an original cosponsor of the Iraq resolution that our President has proposed, and I would like to tell you a story that I believe explains why I think that is the right path to take. A few weeks ago, we were doing some work on my back porch back home, tearing out a section of old stacked rocks, when all of a sudden I uncovered a nest of copperhead snakes. I am not one to get alarmed at snakes. I know they perform some valuable functions, like eating rats. When I was a young lad, I kept snakes as pets. I had an indigo snake. I had a bull snake. I had a beautiful colored corn snake, and many others. I must have had a dozen king snakes at one time or another. They make great pets, and you only have to give them a little mouse every 30 days. I read all the books by Raymond C. Ditmars, who was before most herpetologists of the day--that is a person who is an expert on snakes--and for a while I wanted to be a herpetologist, but the pull of being a big league shortstop out ran that childhood dream. I reminisce this way to explain that snakes do not scare me like they do most people, and I guess the reason is that I know the difference between those snakes that are harmless and those that can kill you. In fact, I bet I may be the only Senator in this body who can look at the last 3 inches of a snake's tail and tell you whether it is poisonous. I can also tell the sex of a snake, but that is another story. A copperhead snake will kill you.…”