Some in this chamber, and in our country, did not support the liberation of
Iraq. Objections to war often come from principled motives. But let us be
candid about the consequences of leaving Saddam Hussein in power. We are
seeking all the facts ? already the Kay Report identified dozens of weapons of
mass destruction-related program activities and significant amounts of equipment
that Iraq concealed from the United Nations. Had we failed to act, the
dictator’s weapons of mass destruction programs would continue to this day. Had
we failed to act, Security Council resolutions on Iraq would have been revealed
as empty threats, weakening the United Nations and encouraging defiance by
dictators around the world. Iraq’s torture chambers would still be filled with
victims ? terrified and innocent. The killing fields of Iraq ? where hundreds
of thousands of men, women, and children vanished into the sands ? would still
be known only to the killers. For all who love freedom and peace, the world
without Saddam Hussein’s regime is a better and safer place.