[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 11 (Thursday, February 12, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S699-S700]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           SITUATION IN IRAQ

  Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, the Secretaries of Defense and State have 
been pursuing political support, both in the Congress and among our 
allies, for the use of military force against Iraq.
  I come to the floor today to express my support for a military strike 
against Iraq and to urge our colleagues and our allies to join us in 
supporting our troops and our Commander-in-Chief. The unfortunate 
impasse which has precluded a full and conclusive Senate debate on a 
formal resolution of support should not be misconstrued. Clearly, when 
and if the time comes, an overwhelming majority in this body will 
support decisive action to end the threat to our security that Iraq 
continues to pose. Saddam Hussein should have no doubt about that.
  We in government are frequently accused of demonizing our enemies in 
order to garner popular support here at home for the kind of actions we 
are currently contemplating with regard to Iraq. President Bush was 
accused of doing precisely that during Operation Desert Shield. There 
is a considerable wealth of information pertaining to Saddam Hussein's 
years in power, though, that clearly indicates that we are dealing with 
as ruthless and brutal a dictator as exists anywhere in the world 
today. That is not demonizing an individual; it is accurately 
describing a man with the moral and ethical foundation required to 
employ chemical weapons against his own population; to assassinate any 
and all political rivals; to have his own sons-in-law executed; to 
massacre Kurdish populations in the north and Shiite communities in the 
south; to invade Kuwait and impose a

[[Page S700]]

barbaric occupation of that nation; and to continue to threaten 
neighboring countries despite the open revulsion with which much of the 
world has reacted to his years of rule.
  This is a regime that recognizes no restraint upon its conduct save 
that which is imposed by force of arms. As I have repeatedly stated 
here on the floor of the Senate, the actions for which Saddam Hussein 
must be held accountable represent nothing more than what is expected 
of any country that seeks to exist within a community of civilized 
nations. The Government of Iraq has imposed untold hardships on its 
people solely so that it can continue to develop and stockpile weapons 
of mass destruction--weapons that it has no moral compunction about 
using at the earliest opportunity and against any nation or segment of 
society.
  Linkages are repeatedly made between the U.S. posture toward Iraq and 
our role in the Middle East peace process. Mr. President, that argument 
cries out for denunciation at the highest levels of every government. 
We may not like the way every policy of or tactic by the democratically 
elected government in Israel, but the physical pain and psychological 
trauma that afflicted Israel as a result of completely unprovoked 
missile attacks by an Iraqi regime seeking to tear asunder the 
multinational coalition arrayed against it and Tel Aviv's refusal to 
retaliate despite ample justification for doing so stands in strong 
contrast to the Government of Iraq. There is no basis for comparison, 
and U.S. policy toward Iraq should not legitimize the perception of 
linkage by deferring to it.
  The United Nations must enforce its resolutions and do so with 
conviction. And this body must acknowledge that only the United States 
possesses the capability to conduct the kind of military operations 
most of us agree are warranted and essential. That means conveying to 
the President, to the American people, and to the world, the message 
that Congress stands firmly behind the Commander-in-Chief in carrying 
out his responsibility to ensure that the threat to regional stability 
posed by Iraq is not permitted to endure in perpetuity.
  Mr. President, we should make clear to the American people and to the 
world that the Congress agrees with the proposition that evil should 
not be permitted to triumph. The United States must respond forcefully, 
far more so than it has in the past, to Iraq's unceasing provocations 
and it must adopt whatever measures will ensure the removal from power 
of the ruling regime in Baghdad.
  We must prepare the groundwork for a process that may take years to 
bear fruit and that will certainly entail loss of life. Opposition 
forces friendly to and supported by the United States were badly 
decimated by Iraq's 1996 incursion into supposedly protected territory 
in northern Iraq. Survivors are understandably bitter and reluctant to 
cast their lot with us again. That is why the air and missile strikes 
we launch against Iraq must be decisive and not the kind of exceedingly 
limited response characterized by the 27 cruise missiles launched 
against targets unrelated to that violation of the northern exclusion 
zone.
  We must support a long-term operation involving opposition forces 
trained and equipped to conduct a successful revolution. This is not an 
easy course that I and others are recommending. But it is the only 
viable approach to removing a threat to the most volatile region in the 
world--a threat that could include the brandishing of chemical, 
biological, and some day, nuclear weapons. That is not a situation any 
of us want to see develop. But develop it will, if we do not act to 
prevent it.
  Mr. President, I am confident the Congress will soon have the 
opportunity to express formally its support for the use of force to 
respond to that threat. Were there another way, I would gladly accept 
it, but experience teaches that there is not. I would never want to see 
myself viewed as beating the drums of war, but I would rather live with 
that image than look into the mirror and see a Member of Congress who 
failed to do his duty of supporting our troops in harm's way and our 
Commander-in-Chief in taking the kind of measures I sincerely believe 
are necessary to resolve the Iraqi problem once and for all.
  Mr. President, I again express my appreciation for the courtesy of 
the Senator from North Dakota in allowing me to make this statement.
  I yield the floor.
  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I want to thank the distinguished floor 
leader of the Democratic caucus, the Senator from North Dakota, for 
allocating this time to talk about something that is very important.
  I also want to commend as well the Senator from Arizona for his 
comments about Iraq. Certainly his experience and his leadership for 
these many years carries special weight with people on both sides of 
the aisle. I hope that we can continue to demonstrate the spirit that 
he has articulated today as we deal with this grave situation in that 
faraway place.

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