Mr. Speaker, for the past number of months the American government has beat the drums of war louder and louder in the hope of drowning out the world's pleas for a rational peaceful solution to the situation in Iraq.
The war rhetoric is just that; rhetoric. Not even the lowest evidentiary standards have been met that would justify bombing Iraq and in so doing kill thousands of innocent people there. In fact, we demand more proof for a conviction of armed robbery than Mr. Powell gave the world last week in arguing for the invasion of a sovereign nation.
War is an admission that diplomatic means have failed. It is my fervent hope that we continue on the road of diplomacy.