Rhune
ForumsNet Administrator
    
 
Gender: 
Posts: 292
|
 |
House gives Bush authority for war with Iraq
« on: Oct 10th, 2002, 3:06pm » |
 Quote  Modify
|
House gives Bush authority for war with Iraq
Senate Majority Leader Daschle also on board
Thursday, October 10, 2002 Posted: 3:52 PM EDT (1952 GMT)
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The House of Representatives voted 296-133 Thursday to give President Bush the authority to go to war to disarm Iraq.
Across the Capitol, a companion measure drew the support of Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle and cleared a procedural vote by a wide margin earlier Thursday.
The resolution authorizes Bush to commit U.S. troops to enforce U.N. Security Council resolutions requiring Iraq give up weapons of mass destruction. It requires Bush to declare to Congress either before or within 48 hours after beginning military action that diplomatic efforts to enforce those resolutions have failed.
The Bush administration and its supporters in Congress say Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has kept a stockpile of chemical and biological weapons in violation of U.N. resolutions and has continued efforts to develop nuclear weapons. Bush also has argued that Iraq could give chemical or biological weapons to terrorists. (Ground rules for Iraq inspections)
"Saddam Hussein is seeking the means to murder millions in just a single moment. He's trying to extend that grip of fear beyond his own borders and he is consumed with hatred for America," said House Majority Whip Tom DeLay, R-Texas.
Under the resolution passed Thursday, Bush also must certify that action against Iraq would not hinder efforts to pursue the al Qaeda terrorist network that attacked New York and Washington last year. And it requires the administration to report to Congress on the progress of any war with Iraq every 60 days.
Most opposition came from Democrats, who were sharply divided on the issue. Minority Leader Richard Gephardt, D-Missouri, said giving Bush the authority to attack Iraq could avert war by demonstrating the United States is willing to confront Saddam Hussein over his obligations to the United Nations.
"I believe we have an obligation to protect the United States by preventing him from getting these weapons and either using them himself or passing them or their components on to terrorists who share his destructive intent," Gephardt said.
But Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, said Congress and the administration were being driven by fear.
"It is fear which leads us to war," Kucinich said. "It is fear which leads us to believe that we must kill or be killed. Fear which leads us to attack those who have not attacked us. Fear which leads us to ring our nation in the very heavens with weapons of mass destruction."
Earlier Thursday, Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle said he'll vote to give President Bush the authority to use U.S. forces to disarm Iraq, saying Saddam Hussein is a threat that "cannot be ignored."
Lawmakers are expected to approve a resolution authorizing Bush to use military force to disarm or depose Saddam Hussein in order to enforce U.N. disarmament resolutions dating back to the 1991 Persian Gulf War.
The White House says congressional approval will demonstrate American resolve to the United Nations and to Baghdad as the United Nations debates the return of weapons inspectors to Iraq.
"It's not an act of war. It is an act to deter war," said Sen. John Warner, R-Virginia, one of the measure's Senate sponsors.
Daschle, D-South Dakota, had expressed reservations about a possible U.S. attack on Iraq, and he was not part of the agreement reached last week with the White House on a proposed resolution.
He said the resolution before Congress gives Bush "extraordinary authority," and he urged the White House to move "in a way that avoids making a dangerous situation even worse." But he said Iraq's pursuit of nuclear weapons could give it the power to dominate the Persian Gulf region.
"The threat posed by Saddam Hussein may not be imminent. But it is real. It is growing. And it cannot be ignored," Daschle said.
Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott said Bush has listened to Congress, U.S. allies and the United Nations, and is prepared to find a peaceful solution.
"But unless we make it clear that he is committed and we are committed and the United Nations is committed, this problem will not go away," said Lott, R-Mississippi. "It is serious, and it is imminent. It doesn't take but one person with a small container to bring very dangerous weapons of mass destruction into this country."
Sen. Robert Byrd, D-West Virginia, has argued the resolution would give the White House too much power and tried to amend the resolution to limit Bush's authority to one year. The amendment was defeated on a 66-31 vote.
"We ought to pause here and wonder if John Parker -- Capt. John Parker and his minutemen -- wonder if they fought on the green at Lexington for this piece of rag, this so-called resolution," Byrd said.
|
Sponsored by: The Fans!
Home
Help
Search
Members
Chat
Member Map
Login
Register
Reply
Add Poll
Notify of replies
Send Topic
Print