Kay Bailey Hutchison: “I, too, want to commend our two leaders for working together on this very important issue. I think all of us believe…”

“I, too, want to commend our two leaders for working together on this very important issue. I think all of us believe that it is our responsibility, as the U.S. Senate, to work in a bipartisan way with the President of the United States on an issue as grave as attacking another country and sending our troops into harm's way. I believe the administration will work with this Congress and I believe we will have a comfort level that there is a plan and that our troops will be sent on a mission that is very clear. That is what this is all about. The message we are sending to Saddam Hussein today is clear: You may either join the community of nations, abide by the resolutions of the United Nations, or there will be serious consequences. I don't know anyone who disagrees with that proposition. We have often debated the importance of international arms control agreements, such as the Chemical Weapons Convention, the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty among others. What is clear is that without the resolve of the international community to enforce these standards, they are meaningless. Saddam Hussein has threatened the peace in the Middle East before. His people have suffered mightily for it. But even at that time he did not deploy weapons of mass destruction. We cannot provide him a second chance. International inspectors have concluded that he is continuing to develop an arsenal of these horrible weapons.”