[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 33 (Tuesday, March 16, 2004)]
[House]
[Page H1080]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          IRAQ ONE YEAR LATER

  (Mr. DeLAY asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. DeLAY. Madam Speaker, one year after the beginning of Operation 
Iraqi Freedom, our mission in Iraq has been an unqualified success. 
Saddam Hussein's regime is no more. Its senior officials are in prison, 
and the people of Iraq have been liberated. An interim constitution, 
one of the most progressive in the Middle East, has been signed. Free 
elections and self-determination are on their way. Americans and Iraqis 
and free people the world over are reaping the benefits of regime 
change in Baghdad. There is no ``yes, but'' in this calculation, Madam 
Speaker.
  The world is at war and whether we want to be a part of it or not, we 
are a target. Our freedom is a target. Our prosperity is a target. We 
are hated by our enemies, not for any strategic or diplomatic reason 
but for issues of culture, religious extremism and ideology. No amount 
of appeasement or international hand-holding will end this threat. The 
only thing that will is making relentless war on our enemies, on every 
front and with every weapon available to us, until the last terrorist 
on earth is either in a cell or in a cemetery.
  Our intervention and victory in Iraq have been absolute goods for 
mankind and for mankind's war against terror. Those who supported our 
action were right, and those who opposed us were wrong.
  This week, Madam Speaker, the House will take up a resolution 
commemorating the first anniversary of Operation Iraqi Freedom, 
acknowledging its success and commending the Iraqi people on their 
hopeful march to freedom. This resolution, this opportunity to restate 
the United States' commitment to winning the war on terror, is all the 
more important for its timing, coming only days after the largest 
terrorist attack in Spanish history.
  Madam Speaker, last week's violence reminded us all that the world is 
still at war, whether it feels like it every day or not, and the only 
way to win the war on terror is to remain vigilant in its execution. 
This week, we will have an opportunity to reaffirm our support for our 
troops, for our victories and for the liberated people of Afghanistan 
and Iraq.
  I encourage everyone to read the resolution, put politics aside, and 
work towards its unanimous approval.

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