Sylvester Turner: “we confront in this Chamber today a decision of utmost gravity, to authorize the President to use military force if…”

“we confront in this Chamber today a decision of utmost gravity, to authorize the President to use military force if necessary to remove the threat of chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons from the hands of Saddam Hussein. To risk the lives of our sons and daughters for this cause burdens the hearts and minds of every Member of Congress. For the past several weeks, we have weighed this decision in the balance. People of goodwill have had their differences of opinion. We know that military action by its nature is an assumption of risk, risk to the lives and safety of our military forces, risk of outcome and duration of battle, and risk of economic and political dislocations. In spite of these dangers, the greatest danger is to do nothing. The failure to act will leave an international outlaw undeterred and will sacrifice a freedom that President Franklin Roosevelt called fundamental, the freedom from fear. On a clear autumn morning on September 11 we were awakened to the reality of a new and growing threat to our security.”