Utah's members of Congress were cheered by news of the apparent end of the war.
Sen. ORRIN HATCH, R-Utah, was able to break the news himself to hundreds of actors, sports stars and politicians attending a gala fund-raiser he helped organize for the National Foundation for Depressive Illnesses.The audience, which paid $1,500 a plate, erupted in applause and cheers. "What a memorable, historic evening," Hatch said.
Sen. JAKE GARN, R-Utah, issued a statement of joy. "I'm extremely pleased with the outcome, and I'm very proud of our troops. It is an unbelievable accomplishment to be victorious in such a short period of time."
Rep. BILL ORTON, D-Utah, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said, "The president's cease-fire offer truly reflects the best part of America. A fearsome enemy, the United States has once again proven itself magnanimous in victory. We've shown the world our quarrel is with Saddam and his military machine, not the Iraqi people."
Rep. WAYNE OWENS, D-Utah, also a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, said, "I'm pleased and gratified that things have gone so well and that the war ended so soon with so few casualties. I give credit to the men and women who did the fighting, and particularly President Bush and the military command."
Rep. JIM HANSEN, R-Utah, praised the armed services, high-tech weapons, the military command and President Bush. "I have to chuckle thinking back to the last election when he (President Bush) was called a wimp."
However, Hansen said people have been phoning his office to express concern about Saddam remaining in power. "It concerns them, and me, too. Many of the unspeakable, heinous crimes he committed were totally in violation of the Geneva Convention. I don't think we should let him off the hook for that."