Rep. McCarthy
Mrs. McCARTHY of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Spratt-Moran Substitute to H.J. Res. 114. I join the sponsors in commending the President for calling upon the United Nations to enforce existing Security Council resolutions eliminating weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, as well as his seeking approval of a new resolution establishing tougher arms inspections. Should force be necessary, this substitute encourages the President to make every effort to obtain U.N. Security Council approval. It is essential that we execute a multilateral approach to Iraq by uniting with our allies as we did this past year in Afghanistan, and which we also did in prosecuting Desert Storm with a minimal loss of American lives. Indeed, mobilizing a broad coalition of nations to join us in Desert Storm helped avoid destabilizing the Middle East, something which we may be powerless to prevent if we act unilaterally now. It is important to acknowledge that, as with our responsibility to nurture and support the effort to democratize and help stabilize Afghanistan, it is also in our national interest to make a long term commitment to assist in the transition to a new and stable democratic government in Iraq. This is the way to build a collective security throughout the region and enhance the prospects for a lasting peace.
I concur with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops that “the use of massive military force to remove the current government of Iraq could have incalculable consequences for a civilian population that has suffered so much from war, repression, and a debilitating embargo.” In addition to concern for the people of Iraq who have been subjugated by Saddam Hussein and his evil regime, we must fully understand that an attack on Iraq, particularly without support from the world community, may have unintended, negative consequences to our global war on terrorism. We must not lose sight of the fact that it is the worldwide terrorist network which poses the most immediate danger to the people of the United States. We have the support of the world in combating terrorism. If we go it alone in Iraq, we risk destroying that support and impeding our ability to win the war against terrorism.
That is reason enough for making a strong and diligent effort to obtain support of the U.N. Security Council for an aggressive and immediate program of widespread on-site inspections for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. The Spratt-Moran Substitute allows the President to use our troops to assist the U.N. inspections. Such inspections must be executed unrelentingly and must lead to the immediate disarmament of Iraq.
Mr. Speaker, historian Robert Dallek recently noted that during the Presidency of Harry Truman our defense policy was one of containment and deterrence quite unlike the policy proposed by the current administration. President Truman felt that the best way to preserve the peace following World War II was to contain our adversaries. Truman said, “There is nothing more foolish than to think that war can be stopped by war. You don't ‘prevent' anything by war except peace.” Mr. Dallek assessed the current administration's policy as “prevention” by removing a head of state who has the power to do harm to us. Such a unilateral act must be justified with facts that convince the American people to go it alone. The Spratt-Moran Substitute calls upon the President to justify that such force is the only option left available, and mandates that the President seek a second vote of the Congress to authorize use of our military might if the President determines a regime change in Iraq is the goal. I commend my fellow Missourian, Mr. SKELTON for his efforts to assure that we adhere to our Constitution by requiring this second vote.
Mr. Speaker, we are united in our desire to achieve peace and stability in this region. One of the strengths of our country is our right to express our views freely and not have our patriotism questioned if we disagree with a particular administration or policy. I realize my view may not be the prevailing opinion of this body or this administration, but I truly believe it represents the view of a majority of my constituents given the information that is available to us.
I recognize the tremendous sacrifices of the armed forces in this endeavor and I fully support them. The question before us is when and how they should be engaged. I support the multilateral approach stipulated in the substitute and the call for a vigorous, all encompassing inspection program by the U.N., and urge my colleagues to adopt the substitute. As anthropologist Margaret Meade wisely noted: “We must devise a system in which peace is more rewarding than war.” The Spratt-Moran Substitute charts the right and responsible course.
Source: Congressional Record for October 10, 2002