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.
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