In that context, Senator McHugh posed several "what ifs" and "if onlys" with which I agree, but that is not where we are at. This is no longer a question of if Dr. Blix had found something or what if we had waited another few weeks, all of which would have been much better, as it would have been if the United Nations had been adhered to. However, war is now taking place and we must use our moral persuasion as an independent country, acting according to precedent. We can encourage military and political thinking that avoids unnecessary deaths. On many occasions, civilian and military deaths were far in excess of what was required for an ordinary victory.