[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 8]
[House]
[Pages 11519-11520]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          IRAQ WAR RESOLUTION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, on October 10, 2002, this 
Congress voted to give the President of the United States broad powers 
to engage in a unilateral first strike war against Iraq without a 
clearly demonstrated and imminent threat of attack on the United 
States.
  Our oath of office as Members of Congress, our constitutional charge, 
the mandate laid upon us by the people, does not permit us to delegate 
the responsibility of engaging the awesome military power of the United 
States.
  Our oath of office does not permit us to delegate our 
responsibilities in placing our fighting men and women in the field of 
battle, and I commend each and every one of them for the sacrifices 
they are making for freedom-loving people throughout the world.
  Our Constitution places the power to declare war squarely and solely 
in the

[[Page 11520]]

Congress. This issue rises far above partisan politics.
  President Lincoln put our congressional responsibility this way, when 
he said: ``We cannot escape history. We of this Congress and this 
administration will be remembered in spite of ourselves. No personal 
significance or insignificance can spare one or another of us. The 
fiery trial through which we pass will light us down in honor or 
dishonor to the last generation.''
  I opposed that initial resolution, and I would later oppose because 
after all of the information I have seen, and after all I have heard, 
neither I nor a majority of the residents of my district, the 7th 
Congressional District of Illinois, are convinced that the war is our 
only, our best or was our most immediate option.
  I was not convinced, and I am still not convinced, that the 
resolution would properly guide us to act cooperatively and legally 
through the United Nations with the agreement and the involvement of 
the international community. In fact, it led us to pursue risky, 
unilateral actions in defiance of international law and the United 
Nations Charter.
  As the American people are attempting to make sense of this complex 
situation, it is the duty of Congress to ask some hard questions.
  What are we accomplishing by keeping our troops in immediate danger 
in Iraq? In my judgment, the answer is not much.

                              {time}  2300

  In my judgment, commitment to the peaceful solution of problems and 
conflict is an important part of what our democracy should stand for, 
and that does not necessitate or demand continuous military presence in 
Iraq.
  I am a member of the Out of Iraq Caucus, and we need to prepare for 
an honorable way out. It is my profound hope that as we press forward, 
we will press forward towards the mark of a high calling; that we will 
take the high road; that we will take the road that leads to peace and 
not to war, the road to peace based on mutual security and 
international cooperation.
  Let us walk the road to peace knowing that it is also the road to the 
rights we have defined in the United Nations Charter for all humankind. 
Let us walk the road to peace not because it is the easiest road or the 
smoothest road or the shortest road, but knowing that it is the right 
road for the American people.
  Sometimes in the pursuit of noble and inescapable goals it takes more 
courage and more vision not to fight or to fight in a different way. We 
can fight by arming, training, and equipping the Iraqi military and 
civilian police forces to provide security and protection for the Iraqi 
people in their country. We can fight by providing clean water, food, 
and medicine to the Iraqis.
  This is one of those times when we must take the road that leads to 
peace and not down the path to continuous destruction. Let us have the 
courage and the vision to find a permanent peace and security, to 
remove the presence of terrorism and not just drive it underground. 
Surely, if America has a destiny, it is a responsibility to lead the 
world to such peace.
  This is a time of testing for all of us. Let us not fail this great 
test. Let us pursue peace, and not war.

                          ____________________