[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 7]
[House]
[Pages 9076-9077]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       SADDAM'S REGIME DESTROYED

  (Mr. WILSON of South Carolina asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)

[[Page 9077]]


  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, yesterday, 3 weeks to the 
day after operation Iraqi Freedom began, the larger-than-life statue of 
Saddam Hussein in Baghdad's Paradise Square was torn down amid 
celebration by Iraqi citizens, an event very similar to the crumbling 
of the Berlin Wall. Promoted by President Ronald Reagan, this symbolic 
gesture signals the downfall of this totalitarian regime. The Iraqi 
people are certainly entitled to celebrate. Thirty years of brutal 
oppression are finally coming to an end thanks to the leadership and 
determination of our President, George W. Bush.
  I applaud the coalition forces for their courage and a dedication 
beyond compare. The loss of American lives, though tragic, has been 
reduced, and our mission efficient and effective, as I saw in February 
when I was encouraged by visiting the troops in Kuwait.
  Our thoughts and prayers are with the families who have suffered 
losses and our soldiers who continue to fight for the freedom of Iraq 
and an end to terrorism, which seeks to spread weapons of mass 
destruction against American citizens. It is our hope that the Iraqi 
people will be able to use the unique riches of their country to build 
a new life for themselves based upon the principles of freedom and 
liberty.
  May God bless our troops, and may God bless the newly freed people of 
Iraq.

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