[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 43 (Tuesday, March 18, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E503]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                  IRAQ

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 18, 2003

  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, today, my hopes for 
peace have given way to the reality of war. Although I agree with 
President Bush that Saddam Hussein is a dangerous man, I am not 
convinced that a military attack against Iraq is in the best interest 
of our nation. For this reason, I voted against a resolution last year 
that was the equivalent of a declaration of war which authorized the 
President to launch a military strike to disarm and possibly overthrow 
Saddam Hussein.
  The issue is not whether or not Saddam Hussein is a dangerous 
dictator who should be disarmed. Just this past Sunday, we marked the 
fifteenth anniversary of Saddam Hussein's chemical weapons attack on a 
predominantly Kurdish village in northeastern Iraq where 5,000 
civilians died. The international community has an important obligation 
to ensure that Saddam Hussein cannot repeat his aggression of the past, 
and as the world's most powerful country, we must be committed to lead. 
Through U.N. inspections, continued monitoring and increased scrutiny 
of Baghdad, I think we can meet that responsibility.
  Mr. Speaker, we must realize that a possible military attack against 
Iraq would represent a major shift in American diplomatic and strategic 
thinking. For nearly fifty years, we relied upon deterrence to check 
Soviet expansionism. Deterrence brought us victory in the Cold War 
without having to fight a hot, shooting war under the shadow of nuclear 
annihilation. That same strategy has kept Iraq at bay for more than a 
decade. Now that doctrine is on the verge of being discarded.
  There are several other critical questions to which we've heard very 
few answers. We must have a clear plan on how an attack on Iraq would 
transpire, including identifying our military options, determining our 
strategy to change the regime, calculating the potential casualties, 
and estimating how much an operation would cost and how it will be 
funded.
  We must also see a plan to build democratic and free-market 
institutions in a post-Saddam Iraq. History teaches us that how we win 
the peace is just as critical as how we win the war. Thus far, these 
crucial issues have received little attention.
  For those of us who counseled a peaceful strategy to disarm Iraq in 
the months before this point, it is now time to unite in our support 
for the 300,000 brave men and women in the region. I fervently and 
completely join the President in the hope and prayer for the safe and 
quick return of our soldiers to their homes and families.
  I know that members of our military serve this nation's ideals and 
they demonstrate those ideals in their code and in their character. I 
have seen their love of this country and devotion to the cause of peace 
and freedom. I know that their mission is dangerous, and I personally 
thank them for their service. May God bless our troops and their 
families, and may God bless America.

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