[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 120 (Friday, September 20, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Page S8979]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page S8979]]
                                  IRAQ

  Mr. VOINOVICH. Mr. President, I submit for the Congressional Record 
the following statement on Iraq, which I released following the 
President's remarks to the United Nations one week ago today. I ask 
unanimous consent that my statement be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

       Mr. VOINOVICH. President Bush's speech today before the 
     United Nations outlined well Saddam Hussein's sustained 
     history of defiance of UN resolutions and the will of the 
     international community. He left no doubt in any reasonable 
     person's mind that Iraq is a threat to the stability of the 
     Middle East, is a danger to his own people, and is 
     fundamentally hostile to the basic human rights of life, 
     liberty and the pursuit of happiness upon which our nation is 
     founded. Saddam Hussein is a threat to peace and his defiance 
     of the world community and his continued pursuit of weapons 
     of mass destruction show that he has no intention of changing 
     his ways.
       The President's simple recitation of Iraq's defiance and 
     broken promises was convincing and persuasive. No 
     interpretation was required. The President said it best: ``By 
     breaking every pledge by his deceptions and his cruelties, 
     Saddam Hussein has made the case against himself.''
       The President's challenge, therefore, isn't making the case 
     against Iraq, but building the support for action to force 
     Iraqi compliance with UN resolutions calling for it to cease 
     its support of terrorist groups, cease the production of 
     weapons of mass destruction and allow international weapons 
     inspections. Generating this support among the American 
     people, Congress and our international partners is critical 
     if any effort to deal with the Iraqi threat is to be 
     successful.
       As governor of Ohio and commander-in-chief of the Ohio 
     National Guard during the Persian Gulf War, I saw firsthand 
     how the unequivocal support that existed for our campaign to 
     evict Saddam Hussein from Kuwait made it so much easier for 
     our soldiers to leave home for an overseas mission. Ohioans 
     supported our military mission and they supported our troops. 
     There was no doubt about Saddam Hussein's guilt or his need 
     to be stopped. This type of support is important if we are to 
     ultimately succeed in stopping the Iraqi threat.
       With his speech today, President Bush has started to build 
     this base of support. I applaud his decision to go before the 
     world community at the United Nations and to challenge the 
     body to stand behind its resolutions, live up to its charter 
     and be a force for peace and the preservation of human 
     rights. The President's meeting with British Prime Minister 
     Tony Blair last weekend and his recent series of 
     conversations with world leaders are the right beginning. It 
     must be built upon and strengthened. Our allies must be 
     consulted, probed for advice, and engaged in the process, not 
     just lectured, if we are to succeed. The President also must 
     reach out to our emerging allies in the Middle East who, 
     since 9-11, have begun to cooperate in the war on terrorism.
       There is still much work to do as we consider options for 
     confronting the looming threat presented by Iraq's ongoing 
     programs to develop weapons of mass destruction. It is clear 
     that we cannot sit idly by and allow Saddam Hussein to move 
     forward in his work to acquire these deadly capabilities. As 
     we examine possible courses of action I'm confident the 
     President is going to take every necessary step to continue 
     to make his case to Congress and to the American people, and 
     to consult with our allies as well as the countries in the 
     region with whom we have emerging, important relationships. 
     We owe it to those at home and abroad that we seek to protect 
     from Saddam Hussein and his weapons to be diligent in the 
     building of consensus so that our efforts to handle the Iraqi 
     threat can be successful and conclusive.

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