[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 52 (Wednesday, April 21, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H2231-H2232]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       AN UNJUST, UNPROVOKED WAR

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, it has been a little over 1 year since the 
President of the United States, without just cause and without being 
provoked, invaded Iraq. Over 700 Americans have given their lives for 
this war, roughly 10 each week, not to mention the thousands wounded, 
the billions of dollars spent, and the international good will 
squandered.
  This is the same President Bush who last week could not think of a 
mistake he had made. We were told that this war was necessary to keep 
us safe. We were told Saddam Hussein had the world's most dangerous 
weapons and could strike at any moment.

                              {time}  1400

  Now even the President has made tacky jokes about looking for the 
missing weapons of mass destruction under his White House sofa. That 
was certainly an insensitive mistake.
  In fact, the President's appetite for belligerence and bloodshed only 
weakens us, it makes us more vulnerable, encouraging further violence 
and increasing the risk of nuclear destruction.

[[Page H2232]]

  The President's inaccurate declaration about Iraq's weapons of mass 
destruction capabilities are not just incompetent, they are immoral. 
And what a mistake that was.
  There has to be a better way, and there is, one that emphasizes 
brains instead of brawn, one that is consistent with American values. I 
have introduced legislation to create a SMART security platform for the 
21st century. SMART stands for Sensible, Multilateral American Response 
to Terrorism. We need to stop the spread of weapons of mass 
destruction, and keeping the American people safe must be our highest 
priority. On that point the President is not mistaken, but he is wrong, 
wrong to equate our security with aggression and military force. Just 
because you have a hammer, not every single problem is a nail. The 
United States possesses the world's largest hammer in the form of its 
mighty military, but some situations require a more delicate touch.
  SMART security calls for aggressive diplomacy, a commitment to 
nuclear nonproliferation, strong regional security arrangements and 
vigorous inspection regimes. The United States must set an example for 
the rest of the world by renouncing the first use of nuclear weapons 
and the development of new nuclear weapons.
  We must maintain our commitment to existing international treaties 
like the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, the Comprehensive Test Ban 
Treaty, the Biological Weapons Convention and the Chemical Weapons 
Convention.
  To be smart we would support and adequately fund programs like the 
Cooperative Threat Reduction Program, which works with the Russian 
Federation and the states of former Soviet Union to dismantle nuclear 
warheads, reduce nuclear stockpiles, secure nuclear weapons in Russia. 
And we must replicate this program in other troubled regions like North 
Korea and Iran, because it is a mistake to believe that every country 
will proactively choose to give up its nuclear program. In the long run 
negotiations with other countries will keep us much safer than 
believing we can scare them into submission.
  The Bush doctrine has been tried, and it has failed. In fact, it is a 
huge, huge mistake. It is time for a new national security strategy. 
SMART security defends America by relying on the very best of America, 
our commitment to peace and freedom, our compassion for the people of 
the world, and our capacity for multilateral leadership. SMART security 
is tough, pragmatic, and patriotic. SMART security is smart, and it 
will keep America safe.

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