U.S. Senator Bill Frist (R-TN) made the following floor statement in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom on Thursday, March 20:
“The President has ordered the first salvos in Operation Iraqi Freedom. This is a moment we hoped to avoid. We prayed for peace. We worked for peace. But the Iraqi regime chose a different destiny. Now our mission is clear: to use the full might of the American military to disarm Saddam Hussein and liberate the Iraqi people from his oppressive rule.
“American warships and planes have been employed to attack enemy targets throughout Iraq. And hundreds of thousands of American troops are fighting their way across the Iraqi border. Our men and women in uniform are in harm’s way. They are engaged in battle as we speak. Let us pray for their safety and their success.
“I am confident of our victory. And I am confident it will come at the earliest possible moment. Ours is the best-equipped best-trained military in the world. They know they have a job to do. They will do it with extraordinary skill. And as they do, they have the full support of the American people behind them.
“I also commend the President, for his resolute leadership over the past several months. Through his excellent diplomacy we have assembled a coalition of more than 30 countries in support of disarming Saddam Hussein’s regime. I thank the President for his leadership, andI thank the allies for their support.
“And to the families of our men and women in uniform: I know you are concerned for the safety of your loved ones. The President and Congress are concerned too. We are doing all we can to ensure your loved ones return home as quickly and safely as possible. America is grateful for your sacrifice.
“This war is justified by our own laws, by international laws, and by the laws of nature, which state that all people are created equal and with a right to live in liberty.
“And let there be no mistake, we are defending our own liberty. We have already seen what terrorists can do with the combined power of only four jet aircraft. We are now at war so we won’t ever see what terrorists will do if supplied with weapons of mass destruction by Saddam Hussein,
“We also fight to liberate the Iraqi people. For those in Iraq who have suffered daily terror from an oppressive tyrant, for those who have survived torture and imprisonment, for those who have watched as family members died in the agony of chemical weapons attacks, their moment of freedom is near. For those who will defend this dying regime, the moment of reckoning has come.
“Mr. President, I welcome the strong bipartisan support that this resolution has received. It is an honor to stand here side-by side with my colleague, the Democratic leader, to send a clear message to those brave Americans who are risking their lives for us on the battlefield – our prayers are with you, God speed toward victory.”

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