Congressmen positive about war

Paul Clinton

As an anxious country watches the U.S. military wage war against

Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, members of Congress are engaging in similar

activities.

Reps. Chris Cox, who represents Newport Beach, and Dana

Rohrabacher, who represents Costa Mesa, popped in and out of their

offices to check war news on television between meetings and

congressional hearings on Thursday.

Cox said he was encouraged by preliminary reports about the

military’s strikes on Iraq.

“We are hopeful that we will succeed in the liberation of Iraq,”

Cox said. “It is far too early to tell how the conflict will

progress.”

Shelling of Baghdad began Wednesday night, not long after

President Bush’s 5 p.m. deadline for Hussein to leave Iraq expired.

Bombs continued to fall Thursday after a televised broadcast of

Hussein addressing his country.

“One has to believe that Saddam Hussein is struggling to maintain

his persona before his own followers,” Rohrabacher said. “Saddam

Hussein will soon be joining Bin Laden; and Bin Laden will soon be

joining Mussolini, Adolph Hitler and all those other tyrants who are

burning in hell.”

On Thursday morning, Cox met with Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul

Wolfowitz. The congressman said he was given a confidential briefing

that left him in an optimistic mood.

“I learned significant details about our opening strike,” Cox

said. “What surprised me was the bravery of our pilots and troops.

There have already been amazing tales of bravery.”

Cox has also been meeting with Bush, on a weekly basis, to discuss

various bills he is proposing. One bill, known as the bio-shield

initiative, would result in the stockpiling of medical vaccines. Cox

said Bush is “very focused” right now.

“At this point, there is no turning back,” Cox said. “The only

thing to do now is win.”

As bombs fell on Iraq Wednesday evening and through Thursday,

reports came across newswires that the military had also stepped up

operations in Afghanistan. Cox confirmed those reports.