[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 18]
[House]
[Pages 25309-25310]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  THREAT OF SADDAM HUSSEIN ELIMINATED

  (Mr. STEARNS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, we have heard much in the press regarding 
weapons of mass destruction and the former Iraqi regime. I think it is 
important to note that both the Clinton and Bush administrations 
realized the powerful capacity for terror that Saddam Hussein openly 
wielded.
  In 1998, President Clinton said, ``If Saddam rejects peace and we 
have to use force, our purpose is clear. We want to seriously diminish 
the threat posed by Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program.'' In 
this statement, it is clear that the Clinton administration 
acknowledged weapons of mass destruction and was prepared to end Saddam 
Hussein's control of them. Even former Secretary of State Madeleine 
Albright admitted an Iraq capable of using ``nuclear, chemical or 
biological weapons against us or our allies is the greatest security 
threat we face.'' The threat of

[[Page 25310]]

Saddam Hussein has been clear for decades. Finally, that threat has 
been eliminated.

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