HOYER RESPONDS TO PRESIDENT BUSH’S SPEECH ON IRAQ

WASHINGTON– HouseDemocratic WhipSteny Hoyer (MD) released the following statement tonight in response to the president’s speech onIraq:

“The President’s speech to the nation tonight left little doubt that the international community’s 12-year effort to disarm Saddam Hussein through diplomacy is nearing an end.

The use of military force is one of the most solemn decisions that our nation must make.  But it is a responsibility from which we must not shrink.  Whether Hussein’s disarmament is achieved through diplomacy or military force, our brave men and women in uniform in the Middle East, and throughout the world, must know that we stand united behind them and support them.”