Simmons says U.S. justified to attack
Weapons of mass destruction, not oil. Sunday, March 23, 2003 By JENNIFER HICKS Norwich Bulletin
MYSTIC -- The war in Iraq is about weapons of mass destruction, not about oil, according to U.S. Rep. Rob Simmons, R-2nd District.
Simmons, a Vietnam veteran and former CIA agent, talked about the war Saturday at his office in Mystic. He said America gets most of its oil from Venezuela and Saudi Arabia and not from Iraq.
Simmons said he understands U.S. forces trying to end the war quickly by conducting operations such as Friday's "shock and awe" bombing campaign.
"That kind of attack to the heart of their leadership has a lot of impact," he said.
He also said he doesn't believe the U.S. strikes will increase the risk of terrorist attacks here in retaliation.
"We're at the risk of terrorist attacks in this country to a greater or lesser degree, regardless of these attacks," Simmons said.
He said he believes the United States is sending a clear signal to countries that support terrorism to show it's not going to tolerate it.
Simmons said the Iraqi government failed to comply with 17 U.N. resolutions to disarm, particularly resolution 1441. He said satellite photos taken by the CIA showed suspicious buildings and vehicles.
"In situations like this, you have to be prepared to use force. War is an extension of politics by other means," he said. "I'm against war, but I believe it can be used as a last resort."
He said this war is a last resort to quash the goal of the Iraqi regime -- which is to kill Americans.
He said the Iraqi regime resents the influence that Western culture is having in the Middle East.
"They have fundamental differences and values than us," he said. "They feel our culture is taking over in other parts of the world."
Simmons also doesn't believe America's loss of allied support for the war will be long-term He said U.S. allies have disagreed with us in the past and then resolved the issues. He believes that will be the case again.
He said Congress' move to change the name of French fries to "freedom" fries because of France's reluctance to support the war was just for humor.
He said France, China, Russia and Germany have lucrative oil negotiations with Iraq, which is probably their reason for keeping out of the war.
He predicted Americans would continue to order Chinese take-out and White Russians even though the names come from countries standing on the sidelines of the war.
Simmons said the anti-war protests make this war different from other wars, such as Vietnam. Anti-war movements during Vietnam started several years after the war began.
"Here, we have a movement that preceded the war," he said of today's protests.
Simmons said protesters have the right to voice their opinions. Some might not have gathered all of the facts about the war, while others are pacifists, he said.
"I have great respect for pacifists," he said.
But, he said, Saddam Hussein is not a pacifist and eventually will go after the American people.