Burgess Owens: “We cannot say too much at this point about America's preemptive strike on Iraq. We are the greatest Nation that ever…”

“We cannot say too much at this point about America's preemptive strike on Iraq. We are the greatest Nation that ever existed in the history of the world. We are the richest; we are the most powerful. We are also the most democratic. Never have so many people enjoyed democracy and never have so many people had an opportunity to help make decisions. We should not throw away our opportunity to help make this decision. We should not assume that it is all over, that decisions have been made and we cannot stop the war at this point. Or if the war should occur in the next few hours or the next few days, we should not assume that we cannot shorten it, we cannot do the best for our soldiers. The best thing to do for our soldiers is to bring them home safely, to get them out of conflict's way. War is hell. War is hell. The question is, Do we have to plunge into hell in order to accomplish what we are seeking to accomplish? At that time I said that I still believe that every step we take toward a war with Iraq makes us less safe, not more safe.”