War with Iraq

WAR WITH IRAQ

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, Democrats—not all, but some, predominantly those running for President of the United States—have questioned United States intelligence and war with Iraq based on 16 words. Republicans have made a comprehensive case based on facts, recent history, and protecting the American people. Democrats', in my opinion, politically motivated case, questions intelligence and a war with Iraq in the following words found in the address by the
President:

The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa.
The case for going to war was not made by those words.

No. 1, it was made on the proposition of protecting the American people.

On a September morning, threats that had gathered for years, in secret and far away, led to murder in our country on a massive scale. As a result, we must look at our security in a new way, because our country is a battlefield in the first war of the 21st century. We learned a lesson: The dangers of our time must be confronted actively and forcefully, before we see them again in our skies and in our cities. And we set a goal: we will not allow the triumph of hatred and violence in the affairs of men.

That is from a speech President Bush made to the American Enterprise Institute on February 26, 2003.

Possession of the world's most deadly weapons is the ultimate trump card. .    .    . Should we take the risk that [Saddam] will not someday use these weapons at a time and a place and in a manner of his choosing .    .    . ? The U.S. will not and cannot run that risk to the American people. That is not an option, not in a post-September 11 world.

That is from the presentation Secretary Powell made to the United Nations Security Council on February 5, 2003.

The second reason to go to war was the refusal to disarm:

Saddam Hussein has been under a duty to disarm for more than a decade. Yet he has consistently and systematically violated that obligation and undermined U.N. inspections. And he only admitted to a massive biological weapons program after being confronted with the evidence.

That is from a radio address to the Nation President Bush made on December 7, 2002.

The third reason to go to war was the refusal to allow weapons inspections:

Iraq has undermined the effectiveness of weapons inspectors with ploys, delays, and threats—making their work impossible and leading to four years of no inspections at all.

That is from a press conference President Bush gave on November 8, 2002.

The fourth reason to go to war was the use of biological and chemical weapons:

Now, what makes him even more unique is the fact that he's actually gassed his own people. He has used weapons of mass destruction on neighboring countries and he's used weapons of mass destruction on his own citizenry.

That is from a press conference President George Bush gave on October 21, 2002.

The fifth reason for going to war—chemical weapons:

We know that the regime has produced thousands of tons of chemical agents, including mustard gas, sarin nerve gas, VX nerve gas. Saddam Hussein also has experience in using chemical weapons. He has ordered chemical attacks on Iran, and on more than forty villages in his own country. These actions killed or injured at least 20,000 people, more than six times the number of people who died in the attacks of September the 11th.

That is from President Bush's Cincinnati speech on October 7, 2002.

Earlier today, I ordered America's armed forces to strike military and security targets in Iraq. Their mission is to attack Iraq's nuclear, chemical and biological weapons programs and its military capacity to threaten its neighbors. Their purpose is to protect the national interest of the United States.

That is from a speech to the Nation by President Bill Clinton on December 16, 1998.

The sixth reason for going to war—biological weapons:

It was then that the regime was forced to admit that it had produced more than 30,000 liters of anthrax and other deadly biological agents. The inspectors, however, concluded that Iraq had likely produced two to four times that amount. This is a massive stockpile of biological weapons that has never been accounted for, and capable of killing millions.

That is from President George W. Bush's Cincinnati speech on October 7, 2002.

Although criticizing the Bush Administration for its "sudden burst of urgency" to go after Saddam, he did not dispute the Iraqi dictator's possession of prohibited weapons and stated on September 23, 2001: "We know that he has stored secret supplies of biological and chemical weapons throughout his country."

That is from the Washington Times of June 4, 2003.

No. 7, concealed WMD production:

In 2001, an Iraqi defector, Adnan Ihsan Saeed al-Haideri, said he had visited twenty secret facilities for chemical, biological and nuclear weapons. Mr. Saeed, a civil engineer, supported his claims with stacks or Iraqi government contracts, complete with technical specifications. Mr. Saeed said Iraq used companies to purchase equipment with the blessing of the United Nations—and then secretly used the equipment for their weapons programs."

This came from "A Decade of Deception and Defiance," a briefing document to accompany President George W. Bush's
speech to the U.N., September 12, 2002.

No. 8, Saddam Hussein's atrocities:

The government continues to execute summarily alleged political opponents and leaders in the Shi'a religious community. Reports suggest that persons were executed merely because of their association with an opposition group or as part of a continuing effort to reduce prison populations."

This came from "A Decade of Deception and Defiance," a briefing document to accompanying President George W. Bush's
speech to the U.N., September 12, 2002.

No. 9, links to terrorists:

Iraq shelters terrorist groups including the Mujahedin-e-Khalq Organization (MKO), which has used terrorist violence against Iran and in the 1970s was responsible for killing several U.S. military personnel and U.S. civilians; the Palestine Liberation Front (PLF), which is known for aerial attacks against Israel and is headed by Abu Abbas, who carries out the 1985 hijacking of the cruise ship Achille Lauro; and the Abu Nidal Organization, an international terrorist organization that has carried out terrorist attacks in twenty countries, killing or injuring almost 900 people.

This came from "A Decade of Deception and Defiance," a briefing document to accompany President George W. Bush's
speech to the U.N., September 12, 2002.

No. 10, peace and stability in the Middle East:

And there is no doubt that his aggressive regional ambitions will lead him into future confrontations with his neighbors—confrontations that will involve both the weapons he has today, and the ones he will continue to develop with his oil wealth.

This was Vice President Cheney in a speech to VFW convention, August 26, 2002.

No. 11, nuclear weapons:

The evidence indicates that Iraq is reconstituting its nuclear weapons program. Saddam Hussein has held numerous meetings with Iraqi nuclear scientists, a group he calls his "nuclear mujahideen"—his nuclear holy warriors. Satellite photographs reveal that Iraq is rebuilding facilities at sites that have been part of its nuclear program in the past. Iraq has attempted to purchase high-strength aluminum tubes and other equipment needed for gas centrifuges, which are used to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons.

This was President George W. Bush, the Cincinnati speech, October 7, 2002.

On the nuclear question, many of you will recall that Saddam's nuclear ambitions suffered a severe setback in 1981 when the Israelis bombed the Osirak reactor. They suffered another major blow in Desert Storm and its aftermath.

This was Vice President Cheney in a speech to VFW convention, August 26, 2002.

There is no doubt in my mind that these and many more are the reasons we went to war. These and many more are the reasons Americans supported the war. These and many more are the reasons they still support the war. These and many more are the reasons they hope this war ends in a successful peace. These reasons and many more, not the 26 words that are being argued about, are the reasons Americans supported our President in the war, supported our troops in the war, support both of them today, and support both in a genuine American hope that peace will ensue.

Already there are some fruits of this effort in the Middle East. We hadn't seen for a long time the meetings between the Israelis and the Palestinians that we have been seeing. This war had something to do with that. Let's hope it is the beginning of peace.

I yield the floor.