BOND FLOOR SPEECH IN SUPPORT OF U.S. FORCES IN IRAQ
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November 4, 2003
Mr. President, I rise this morning in support of U.S. forces in Iraq and all our forces engaged in the war on terrorism.
I am delighted that the vast majority of this body voted in support of the supplemental and our ongoing efforts to finish what we started in Iraq.
Last week I had the honor to visit a number of our wounded recently returned from Iraq. The spirit and enthusiasm of our servicemen and women serving in the war on terror is inspiring and should remind all Americans that our warfighters have the will to win as long as the American people have the will to win.
This past weekend brought news of the tragic loss of 16 soldiers in a chinook helicopter mishap in Iraq. There is no one in this body who takes the current conflict lightly. Any loss of life is difficult to bear. Yet we must not forget the losses we incurred on 9-11 and the loss of innocent lives in other terrorist attacks from the marine barracks in Lebanon to the disco bombing in Bali. The message we must send if we are to avoid future catastrophic attacks is that no price is too great for the freedoms we and other freedom loving peoples now hold dear. The message we need to send our enemies is that we will not cut and run.
Critics of U.S. foreign policy who now want us to pull out are just dead wrong.
This past weekend David Kay, head of the Iraqi survey group, established to uncover Saddam's development of illicit weapons programs had much to say about recent distortions of his report.
We are engaged in a monumental fight against terror and tyranny on a global scale. And one that all freedom loving people have a stake in. The Middle East is a region long marked by instability and marred by war, the threat of war, torture, terrorism and ruthless dictators.
On 9-11 we lost close to three thousand citizens when foreign terrorists blatantly and indiscriminately attacked innocent civilians. It is a miracle that the death toll was not higher.
On 9-11 we found out what can happen when terrorists attack fellow citizens on our territory under their terms. It is better to take the fight to Baghdad than to wage it in boston or Balwin, Missouri.
Some argue that Saddam has not been linked to terrorism. Tell that to the thousands of Israeli families who have lost innocent relatives at the hands of Hamas suicide bombers whose families received twenty five thousand dollars for each successful attack on innocent men, women and children from the Iraqi dictator.
Today there are close to one hundred thousand Iraqi's who are assuming control of essential civil responsibilities such as border police, police, civil defense, facilities protection and as soldiers.
With each passing day more and more Iraqi's are taking the lead in securing and protecting Iraq. Over 85 percent of Iraq is relatively stable with the exception of the troubled Sunni triangle. It is no surprise that Saddam's long time supporters, the Sunni ba'thists, are putting up the most resistance for they have the most to loose when the forces of freedom win the day.
Recent declassified department of defense televised reports of Iraqi sponsored torture are too disturbing to watch yet they remind us of just how depraved and evil the Saddam regime was in its ruthless repression of the Iraqi people. In Iraq we have found mass graves and we know that Saddam conducted mass chemical attacks against his own people, launched chemical attacks against Iran and launched a military and brutal invasion of Kuwait, Iraq's neighbor to the south. These obvious acts of evil remind us of what it is we are fighting in Iraq.
The president has been forthright with the American people. Since the attacks on 9-11 the president has been clear in stating that the war on terrorism would take years not months. We must stay the course.
Mr. president, we are engaged in a global conflict against terrorists who will not flinch from killing as many innocent Americans and other free peoples as possible to achieve their distorted aims.
The will of the American people is being tested. We cannot flinch in the face of the fire we are encountering.
If we do not pursue terrorists where they live now then we will continue to invite more attacks anytime U.S. interests collide with the interests of terrorists.
I am delighted that the vast majority of this body voted in support of the supplemental and our ongoing efforts to finish what we started in Iraq.
Last week I had the honor to visit a number of our wounded recently returned from Iraq. The spirit and enthusiasm of our servicemen and women serving in the war on terror is inspiring and should remind all Americans that our warfighters have the will to win as long as the American people have the will to win.
This past weekend brought news of the tragic loss of 16 soldiers in a chinook helicopter mishap in Iraq. There is no one in this body who takes the current conflict lightly. Any loss of life is difficult to bear. Yet we must not forget the losses we incurred on 9-11 and the loss of innocent lives in other terrorist attacks from the marine barracks in Lebanon to the disco bombing in Bali. The message we must send if we are to avoid future catastrophic attacks is that no price is too great for the freedoms we and other freedom loving peoples now hold dear. The message we need to send our enemies is that we will not cut and run.
Critics of U.S. foreign policy who now want us to pull out are just dead wrong.
This past weekend David Kay, head of the Iraqi survey group, established to uncover Saddam's development of illicit weapons programs had much to say about recent distortions of his report.
We are engaged in a monumental fight against terror and tyranny on a global scale. And one that all freedom loving people have a stake in. The Middle East is a region long marked by instability and marred by war, the threat of war, torture, terrorism and ruthless dictators.
On 9-11 we lost close to three thousand citizens when foreign terrorists blatantly and indiscriminately attacked innocent civilians. It is a miracle that the death toll was not higher.
On 9-11 we found out what can happen when terrorists attack fellow citizens on our territory under their terms. It is better to take the fight to Baghdad than to wage it in boston or Balwin, Missouri.
Some argue that Saddam has not been linked to terrorism. Tell that to the thousands of Israeli families who have lost innocent relatives at the hands of Hamas suicide bombers whose families received twenty five thousand dollars for each successful attack on innocent men, women and children from the Iraqi dictator.
Today there are close to one hundred thousand Iraqi's who are assuming control of essential civil responsibilities such as border police, police, civil defense, facilities protection and as soldiers.
With each passing day more and more Iraqi's are taking the lead in securing and protecting Iraq. Over 85 percent of Iraq is relatively stable with the exception of the troubled Sunni triangle. It is no surprise that Saddam's long time supporters, the Sunni ba'thists, are putting up the most resistance for they have the most to loose when the forces of freedom win the day.
Recent declassified department of defense televised reports of Iraqi sponsored torture are too disturbing to watch yet they remind us of just how depraved and evil the Saddam regime was in its ruthless repression of the Iraqi people. In Iraq we have found mass graves and we know that Saddam conducted mass chemical attacks against his own people, launched chemical attacks against Iran and launched a military and brutal invasion of Kuwait, Iraq's neighbor to the south. These obvious acts of evil remind us of what it is we are fighting in Iraq.
The president has been forthright with the American people. Since the attacks on 9-11 the president has been clear in stating that the war on terrorism would take years not months. We must stay the course.
Mr. president, we are engaged in a global conflict against terrorists who will not flinch from killing as many innocent Americans and other free peoples as possible to achieve their distorted aims.
The will of the American people is being tested. We cannot flinch in the face of the fire we are encountering.
If we do not pursue terrorists where they live now then we will continue to invite more attacks anytime U.S. interests collide with the interests of terrorists.
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