[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 1 (Tuesday, January 27, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H20]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       BOMBING IRAQ WOULD BE THE RESULT OF FLAWED FOREIGN POLICY

  (Mr. PAUL asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PAUL. Mr. Speaker, it appears the administration is about to bomb 
Iraq. The stated reason is to force UN inspections of every inch of 
Iraqi territory to rule out the existence of any weapons of mass 
destruction. The President's personal problems may influence this 
decision, but a flawed foreign policy is behind this effort.
  Why is Iraq a greater threat to U.S. security than China, North 
Korea, Russia or Iran? They all have weapons of mass destruction. This 
makes no sense.
  There was a time in our history that bombing foreign countries was 
considered an act of war, done only with a declaration by this 
Congress. Today, tragically, it is done at the whim of Presidents and 
at the urging of congressional leaders without a vote, except maybe by 
the UN Security Council.
  But the President is getting little support and a lot of resistance 
from our allies for this aggressive action.
  Sadly, our policy in the Middle East has served to strengthen the 
hand of Hussein, unify the Islamic Fundamentalists and expose American 
citizens to terrorist attacks. Hussein is now anxious for the bombs to 
hit to further stir the hatred and blame toward America for all the 
approximate he has inflicted on his people.

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