[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 34 (Wednesday, March 17, 2004)]
[House]
[Page H1211]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 IN OPPOSITION TO HOUSE RESOLUTION 557

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Paul) is recognized for 5 minutes
  Mr. PAUL. Mr. Speaker, today, in the floor debate on H. Res. 557, the 
Iraq resolution, though a member of the Committee on International 
Relations, I was unfortunately denied time to express my dissent on the 
policy of preemptive war in Iraq. The fact that the Committee on 
International Relations held no hearings and did not mark up the 
resolution further challenges the fairness of the process.
  Mr. Speaker, I now rise to express my opposition to H. Res. 557, 
obviously, not because our Armed Forces do not deserve praise, but 
rather because our policy in the Persian Gulf is seriously flawed. An 
effort to commend our forces should not be used to rubber-stamp a 
policy of folly. To do so is disingenuous. Though the resolution may 
have political benefits, it will prove to be historically incorrect.
  Justifying preemption is not an answer to avoiding appeasement. Very 
few wars are necessary. Very few wars are good wars. And this one does 
not qualify. Most wars are costly beyond measure, in life and limb and 
economic hardship. In this regard, this war does qualify: 566 deaths, 
10,000 casualties, and hundreds of billions of dollars for a victory 
requiring self-deception.
  Rather than bragging about victory, we should recognize that the war 
that rages on between the Muslim East and the Christian West has 
intensified and spread, leaving our allies and our own people less 
safe. Denying we have an interest in oil and that occupying an Islamic 
country is not an affront to the sensitivities of most Arabs and 
Muslims is foolhardy.
  Reasserting U.N. Security Council resolutions as a justification for 
the war further emphasizes our sacrifice of sovereignty and Congress's 
reneging its constitutional responsibility over war.
  This resolution dramatizes our forgetfulness that for too long we 
were staunch military and economic allies of Saddam Hussein, confirming 
the folly of our policy of foreign meddling over many decades. From the 
days of installing the Shah of Iran to the current worldwide spread of 
hostilities and hatred, our unnecessary involvement shows so clearly 
how unintended consequences come back to haunt generation after 
generation.
  Someday our leaders ought to ask why Switzerland, Sweden, Canada, 
Mexico, and many others are not potential targets of an Islamic attack. 
Falsely believing that the al Qaeda was aligned with Saddam Hussein has 
resulted in the al Qaeda now having a strong presence and influence in 
Iraq. Falsely believing that Iraq had a supply of weapons of mass 
destruction has resulted in a dramatic loss of U.S. credibility, as 
anti-Americanism spreads around the world. Al Qaeda recruitment, sadly, 
has been dramatically increased.
  We all praise our troops and support them. Challenging one's 
patriotism for not supporting this resolution and/or policy in the 
Persian Gulf is not legitimate. We should all be cautious in endorsing 
and financing a policy that unfortunately expands the war rather than 
ends it.

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