Ron Paul Quotes.com 2003 Ron Paul Chapter 108 Ron Paul Quotes.com: Supplemental Appropriation 16 October 2003 Home Page   Contents Congressional Record   Cached Not linked on Ron Paul’s Congressional website.

Supplemental Appropriation 16 October 2003 Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. PAUL). (Mr. PAUL asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.) 2003 Ron Paul 108:1 Mr. PAUL. Mr. Chairman, I thank the chairman for yielding me this time. 2003 Ron Paul 108:2 Mr. Chairman, this $87 billion is a little bit steep for my wallet, and it is a little bit steep for probably the wallets of most Americans. So I will be voting against it. 2003 Ron Paul 108:3 But I understand this is called a supplemental. It is interesting that it is a supplemental because we have not passed a budget; so I have to suggest maybe we ought to call this a preemptive budget rather than a supplemental. But it is the largest, and to have it before the regular budget is pretty astounding that we are going to spend this type of money. 2003 Ron Paul 108:4 But I want to take this minute I have to quote from a book, “A World Transformed,” and this was written about 5 years ago talking about Iraq. And I think this is a very serious quote and something worth listening to: 2003 Ron Paul 108:5 “Trying to eliminate Saddam Hussein . . . would have incurred incalculable human and political costs. Apprehending him was probably impossible . . . We would have been forced to occupy Baghdad and, in effect, rule Iraq . . . There was no available ‘exit strategy’ we could see, violating another of our principles. Furthermore, we had been self-consciously trying to set a pattern for handling aggression in the post-Cold War world. Going in and occupying Iraq, thus unilaterally exceeding the United Nations’ mandate, would have destroyed the precedent of international response to aggression that we hoped to establish. Had we gone the invasion route, the United States could conceivably be an occupying power in a bitterly hostile land.” 2003 Ron Paul 108:6 That was written 5 years ago, very perceptive. It was written by President Bush, Sr. So I think we are here now in a very hostile land with a very difficult situation. 2003 Ron Paul 108:7 I was a strong opponent of the war for two reasons: one, I sincerely believed our national security was not threatened, and I also was convinced that it had no relationship to 9–11; and I think those two concerns have been proven to be correct. Many who had voted against the war now suggest that they might vote for this appropriation because they feel it is necessary to vote to support the troops. I think that is a red herring argument because if we take a poll, and there have been some recent polls of the troops in Iraq, we find out that probably all of them would love to come home next week. So I do not see how a vote against this appropriation can be construed. As a matter of fact, that is challenging the motivation of those of us who will oppose the legislation, that we do not support the troops. So I am in support of voting against this appropriation.

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