Political Quotes

“I rise to endorse emphatically granting to the Commander in Chief the authority he needs to achieve our military objectives and the objectives of our NATO alliance against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Rather than considering limitations to the President's powers, as they are interpreted through the War Powers Act, we ought to be singularly focused on aiding his ability to prosecute and end this war as quickly as possible. That is why I am an original cosponsor of this resolution permitting the use of all necessary force and other means to accomplish our goals in the Kosovo region of Yugoslavia. We are now weeks into an air campaign that may last months. Americans need to prepare themselves now, psychologically at least, for war. War is not risk free. We have to accept the fact and the responsibility that goes with it that we may well lose significant numbers of American lives, and we can't wait to see how it turns out before we risk taking a stand for which we will be and should be held accountable. The longer we exhibit a lack of resolve to see this through to conclusion, the longer it is going to last, the more it is going to cost, and the greater the risk that the U.S. and alliances' casualties will mount. In effect, Mr. President, we are exacerbating everything we purport to worry about--time, money, and, most importantly, lives--and we protract the suffering of those we are trying to save.”