[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 2 (Thursday, January 7, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E27]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     REGARDING HOUSE RESOLUTION 612

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EVA M. CLAYTON

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, January 6, 1999

  Mrs. CLAYTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the 24,000 men and 
women of the United States Armed Forces who are currently involved in 
operations in the Persian Gulf Region.
  It is important that we protect the interests of the United States. 
It is important that we have peace in the Middle East. It is important 
that we do what we can to prevent the development of weapons of mass 
destruction.
  However, Mr. Speaker, we must pursue these goals with great caution. 
We must exercise restraint in our use of force. We must use great care 
when putting our young men and women in harms way. We must be 
circumspect before putting the lives of other citizens at risk. We must 
be prudent in our decisions to intervene in the internal affairs of 
foreign nations. We may not like Saddam Hussein, but that does not give 
us the right to declare his death.
  Mr. Speaker, I am certain that the advisors to the President were 
very deliberate and judicious before arriving at the recommendation to 
undertake military action against Iraq. However, I am not certain that 
the assumptions upon which they relied are correct. I am not certain 
that Saddam Hussein poses the threat to our national security interests 
that many believe he does. I am not certain that Iraq has the capacity 
to deliver the kind of mass destruction that should cause us the kind 
of concern that has triggered this reaction. I am not certain that 
peace is best achieved through war.
  Nonetheless, I stand behind our men and women whose courage and 
patriotism cannot be questioned. I stand behind our President who, it 
is clear, painstakingly reached this difficult decision. I stand behind 
this Nation, at a time which calls upon us to cooperate with each other 
and be united in our resolve to promote and protect democracy.

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