Burgess Owens: “how we wage peace should be the agenda priority as we close out the 107th Congress. To attack or not to attack Iraq…”

“how we wage peace should be the agenda priority as we close out the 107th Congress. To attack or not to attack Iraq should not be the issue which dominates the final work of this Congress. To attack or not to attack should not be the question which overwhelms the minds of America at this critical hour as we move toward very important elections on November 5. If September 11, 2001, has made the American people preoccupied with security and safety from terrorism, then let us examine all of the components and elements of a program to make our Nation more secure and more safe: Action involving Iraq, whether it is United Nations inspections or military offensive, at the conclusion of either one, we will still face major questions of security and safety from terrorism. Only serious attention to the full agenda of the Congress can accomplish our continuing mission to make this Nation secure and safe. Our Nation is most secure not when we wage war but when we mount a sustained peace offensive.”