[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 7439-7440]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 EXPRESSING SUPPORT AND APPRECIATION FOR THE PRESIDENT AND MEMBERS OF 
       THE ARMED FORCES PARTICIPATING IN OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. WILLIAM D. DELAHUNT

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 20, 2003

  Mr. DELAHUNT. Mr. Speaker, tonight the invasion of Iraq has begun. 
Overwhelmingly, it is the men and women of the American military who 
are carrying out this operation. That's why, although nobody can 
predict the twists and turns this war will take, I have no doubt that 
our troops will ultimately prevail. They are the best trained, 
equipped, and motivated soldiers the world has ever seen. They make us 
proud even in peacetime. And they will do so again in this conflict.
  So it is right that the U.S. Congress should come together to express 
the Nation's respect and gratitude. And this resolution is a good first 
step. But it is only a beginning. We must follow up these flattering 
words with concrete measures of support for our troops, and for those 
veterans who served before them.
  Let me be clear: I oppose this war. I voted against the Congressional 
authorization to use military force. I would prefer that our fellow 
citizens in the military were not risking their lives in this invasion 
tonight. But now that it is underway, there should be no doubt in 
anyone's mind that the U.S. armed forces have our full and sustained 
support.
  Within the Congress and across our Nation, we still have profound 
disagreements over the rationale for this pre-emptive strike. For my 
part, as a member of the International Relations Committee, I have been 
thoroughly dismayed at the handling of the buildup to this war. I 
believe it is particularly misleading to argue that this assault is 
part of the fully justified and necessary response to the savagery of 
al Qaeda. I strongly object to language in this resolution that does 
exactly that.

[[Page 7440]]

  This is not to say that I oppose liberating the Iraqi people or 
ending the brutality of the Iraqi regime. Saddam Hussein is a ruthless 
dictator who has visited unspeakable horror on Iraqis and their 
neighbors. And I find myself concurring with those in the 
Administration who believe that this could be exactly the kind of 
radical strategy that could shock the Middle East into real change. But 
the way that the Administration so thoroughly assaulted the structures 
of world order in its rush to war could make our coming victory in Iraq 
a Pyrrhic one.
  The White House attitude has isolated our nation from the rest of the 
world more thoroughly than at any time in recent history. It has 
alienated some of our closest allies, seriously damaged the United 
Nations and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and potentially 
undermined the international order that the United States worked so 
hard to establish after World War II.
  Either the Administration does not realize, or else it refuses to 
accept, that we need that international order. It is precisely because 
of this global cooperation that we have been so successful in the war 
against al Qaeda. Since for the most part, that is not a war in the 
traditional sense. It is one waged in the shadows, through intelligence 
agencies, special forces operations, and old-fashioned police work. Due 
to the sheer obscenity of the September 11 attacks, and the threat to 
the international order that this organization represents, most of the 
world welcomed the chance to assist us in fighting al Qaeda. And the 
help of many nations--yes, even that of France--has made a great 
contribution to our efforts against the terrorists.
  But the Administration's belligerent swagger into war with Iraq has 
squandered that goodwill. Its ever-changing rationales for this 
action--particularly its assertion of direct links between Saddam and 
al Qaeda, which our own CIA refuses to corroborate--have undermined our 
credibility. Its refusal to estimate the cost of the invasion and 
subsequent occupation has stripped the budget resolution the House 
considered tonight of any connection to reality. Its abandonment of our 
veterans calls into question our long-term commitment to our serving 
military. Its penchant for secrecy and intolerance for dissent feeds 
conspiracy theories about our true intentions. And its assumption that 
might makes right sends a terrifying signal to a world that only 
recently had begun to embrace the traditional American view that 
legitimacy is derived from democracy and the rule of law. Although I am 
certain that our military will win the war in Iraq, I am greatly 
concerned that the Administration will lose the peace.
  Time will only tell who is right. Many in this chamber will continue 
to have great differences with the Administration on this policy. But 
there is one thing on which I agree wholeheartedly with the President: 
our men and women in uniform deserve our deepest respect and 
appreciation. These American citizens are willing to die so that we may 
live; to risk life and limb for the sake of our national security. And 
they will do their job effectively, honorably, and without unnecessary 
partisan rancor. I call on my colleagues, and all Americans, to 
acknowledge their sacrifices by living up to the ideals for which they 
are fighting.

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