WASHINGTON - U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback early this morning voted for the resolution giving President Bush the authority to use military force against Iraq. The resolution (H. J. Res. 114) passed the House on Thursday by a vote of 296-133, and the Senate early Friday morning, 77-23.

"It is important that this body send a clear and strong message in support of the president," Brownback said. "Some of my colleagues wish to narrow the scope of this resolution, but to do so risks handicapping our commander-in-chief during our nation's time of need - and would give the president less power to convince the U.N. to enforce their own resolutions.

"Since 1998, it has been stated U.S. policy that there should be regime change in Iraq. Because of the threat Saddam poses to his neighbors, to the U.S. and to his own people, we wisely declared that the world would be a safer place without his regime.

"Certainly we all hope that the United Nations will step up to its responsibility and agree to take action with us. But unfortunately, we cannot - and should not - abdicate the responsibility of our national security to other nations, who frankly, are not the lead target for terrorists.

"The stark reality is that the U.S. has had forces deployed in the Gulf region since 1990 to first defeat Iraqi aggression, and then to contain a genocidal dictator. For over 12 years the United States has had to deploy our sons and daughters to protect our interests in the Gulf. Over that time Saddam has violated U.N. resolutions and brutalized the Iraqi people to maintain power.

"We live in a world where terrorists seek to harm our country and are actively seeking weapons of mass destruction. We have an awful choice to make: confront this problem now, or wait until the problem gets worse. Either way, we will face uncertainties, loss and expense. But by taking action now, we give ourselves the best opportunity to avoid another Sept. 11th catastrophe.

"This will be challenging, but not impossible. The rewards are great - and quite frankly, we cannot afford the risks of inaction," Brownback said.