Washington, DC - Congressman Gene Green made the following statement on the floor of the House of Representatives today regarding the resolution on Iraq:

 

“This vote is the most important that many of us will cast in our Congressional service.  This vote is not to be taken lightly or made in haste.  We ask our young men and women who serve in our armed forces to put their lives in harm’s way for our nation.  This vote and debate must be of the most serious nature.

 

“It is our job to protect our people, to make sure Americans can raise their families and go to work without the fear of attack.  Our defenses did not work on Sept. 11, 2001, and we saw the devastation that killed 3,000 people.

 

“Our job is to protect our fellow Americans, that is why after a great deal of listening, discussing, and learning, I will support this resolution.

 

“Our nation does not go to war easily.  We are inherently a peaceful nation, we want to be left alone, to live our lives, raise our families, and enjoy the freedoms of our country.  We had to be attacked to enter World War I and World War II.  But when you attack or threaten our country, we will respond.

 

“As with other Members of Congress during August, I was at home in Houston meeting with constituents, doing town hall meetings, and listening to the people I am honored to represent.  My Houston constituents were surprised, as I was, at the aggressiveness of our Administration in relation to Iraq.  It sounded like we were beating the war drum.  The impression it left on many people was the Administration would wage war no matter what, without regard to Congress or international support.  Many people wondered what was this threat that suddenly in August - Iraq became the predominate issue discussed by President Bush.

 

“My folks were more concerned about our deteriorating economy, increasing unemployment, dropping stock market, and the increasing national deficit.  This deficit was and is increasing without addressing additional unemployment assistance, loss of health care, increased spending for education, the plunging stock market or a jobs program to reverse our economic decline.

 

“My folks are still concerned about their everyday lives- that is true with this and previous generations.  We need to protect our people but not lose sight of our economic problems.  Mr. President - I will work with you to protect our people but let's not forget that we must revive our economy and tax cuts, permanent or temporary are not working.  We need an economic revival plan now - not more foreign entanglements.

 

“Saddam Hussain has been a problem for the last month, the last six months, and the last decade for that matter.  I am very pleased that the Administration and the Congress have come together in a bipartisan fashion to draft a balanced resolution.  I think this bipartisanship is evident in several changes contained within this resolution -- issues like compliance with the War Powers Act, language more clearly defining the length and scope of any conflict with Iraq, and affirmation to Congress that all diplomatic avenues have been exhausted prior to using military force.

 

“I am pleased because these changes strengthen the lines of communication between the President and the Congress on this important issue.  Unity is critical if our nation is going to move against any enemy.  The United States is prepared to fight for the safety of our nation regardless of whether all our allies choose to stand with us.  It is our job to protect our people, not the UN’s.  The time for diplomacy is short and the only acceptable solution we should want to hear coming out of Bagdad is that UN weapons inspectors will have complete and unannounced access to anything they want to see.  That includes the Presidential Palaces that constitute hundreds of buildings guarded like Fort Knox.

 

“America will no longer tolerate a weapons shell game played by the Iraqi military designed to foil international weapons inspectors.  Saddam Hussain needs to play by the rules or suffer the consequences, and let there be no doubt that the penalty for noncompliance will be severe."

 

 

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