[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 21 (Wednesday, February 5, 2003)]
[House]
[Page H278]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
URGING AMERICANS TO REVIEW SECRETARY OF STATE COLIN POWELL'S
PRESENTATION ON IRAQ TO UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNSEL
(Mr. SMITH of Michigan asked and was given permission to address the
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. SMITH of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, Secretary of State Colin Powell
today made a presentation to the United Nations Security Council. Mr.
Speaker, I would just urge all Americans that are interested and
concerned about this particular issue of Iraq to review that
presentation.
One item after another to me presented a compelling argument that
there is no question that Saddam Hussein, number one, is a bad guy;
number two, has been developing these weapons of mass destruction.
For two reasons, I think it is important that we just not let this
slide. One, if Saddam Hussein starts thinking that we are not going to
have military force to insist on his compliance with the United
Nations' Resolution 1441, there is a greater likelihood that he is not
going to destroy those weapons. If he thinks it is going to happen,
that war is inevitable if he does not do something, if he does not
start showing and destroying these weapons, then I think there is a
good chance that he is either going to vacate and take his roughly $1.5
billion with him to another country, or he is going to give up those
weapons in order to continue as the leader of that country that has
great economic potential.
Nobody should doubt, Mr. Speaker, that if there was not, in effect, a
gun to Saddam Hussein's head, and the President being tough on this
issue, there would not be inspectors in there and there would not be a
United Nations Security Council debating where we go to insist that
Iraq give up those weapons.
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