"President Bush very clearly laid out what needs to be done by Saddam Hussein and the leaders of Iraq to avoid military conflict - that is, the Iraqi dictator and his sons must give up power and leave Iraq within 48 hours.

"He also laid out pretty clearly what the military leaders and citizens of Iraq need to do to avoid conflict and to avoid injury and death.

"As it is likely that Saddam Hussein will not step down, it appears we are close to military engagement in Iraq. It is distressing that Saddam Hussein refuses to abide by the many United Nations resolutions calling on Iraq to disarm and the 1991 peace agreement that he personally signed agreeing to disarm, but now it is time to enforce the peace agreement and those UN resolutions.

"As the president said, these actions, if necessary, will be undertaken for the security of our nation and for the world as a whole and, he said, we will have the support of a broad international coalition.

"There is no doubt that Saddam Hussein and Iraq have refused to cooperate with the UN inspectors since the end of the Gulf War in 1991 and especially for the last six months of renewed inspections, in violation of the peace agreement and the UN mandates. As President Bush said tonight, 'The security of the world requires disarming Saddam Hussein now.'

"My wife and I pray for the safety of our troops stationed in the Persian Gulf area, as well as the many innocents who may be placed in harm's way by Saddam Hussein's actions. I sincerely hope that we will be able to minimize bloodshed on both sides in the event that military action becomes a reality."