Political Quotes

“the agreement signed by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz has averted, for at least the time being, the use of military force against Iraq. Contrary to the statements of some Members of Congress, I do not believe this signifies that the President of the United States has subcontracted the nation's foreign policy to the United Nations. Rather, I believe the President, who has said he would use force as a last resort, had good reason, indeed an obligation, to delay while the Secretary General sought a diplomatic resolution of this crisis. I also believe the agreement, while not perfect, deserves the support of the international community, including the United States, and I say that even if, as many predict, Saddam violates this agreement as he has every other agreement since the end of the Gulf War. I have said repeatedly that force cannot be justified until every diplomatic option has been exhausted. The agreement obtained by the Secretary General shows that we have not yet reached that point.”