William F. Smith: “Mr. Speaker, soon each Member of Congress will vote on a historic resolution to authorize the President to use military…”

“Mr. Speaker, soon each Member of Congress will vote on a historic resolution to authorize the President to use military force against Saddam Hussein. This is not a declaration of war, and war is not inevitable. Saddam Hussein may yet yield to international pressure and reveal his weapons of mass destruction and destroy them, or the Iraqi people might still install a new regime. No President wants to send our sons and daughters into combat, but a President should be able to take action he deems necessary to respond to terrorist threats and protect American lives. I know that given all the facts, President Bush will make the right decision. Saddam Hussein is a dangerous man with dangerous weapons, weapons of mass destruction. His regime has stockpiled large amounts of chemical and biological weapons and is attempting to acquire nuclear weapons, has repeatedly violated United Nations Security Council resolutions, has repeatedly fired missiles at U.S. aircraft, has aided known terrorist organizations, and has openly praised the attacks of September 11, 2001, which killed 3,000 people. Mr. Speaker, hoping that Saddam Hussein will not use his weapons or wishing that his threat to world peace will go away is not a responsible policy and certainly not a guarantee of success. Hope is not a strategy. Mr. Speaker, evil must be confronted and condemned.”