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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: SeachRE who wrote (275008)	7/15/2002 9:46:59 AM
From: Baldur Fjvlnisson	Respond to of 769670

U.S. Congress: Missing in Action Saturday, July 13, 2002 theledger.com Unless the Bush administration is running a gigantic bluff, it is making preparations for an invasion of Iraq. If such an invasion goes forward, the United States of America will have, for all intents and purposes, declared war on another sovereign nation. The objective of this war would be to drive the bloody tyrant Saddam Hussein from power and preclude his regime from ever using weapons of mass destruction on the United States or its citizens. According to varying news reports, such an invasion could be launched on as many as three fronts, involve anywhere from 50,000 to 200,000 American troops, and necessitate the untold expenditure of lives, munitions and tax dollars over an unknown period. If such a large-scale invasion were to occur, it would not appear to qualify as a "pre-emptive strike." It would not be a "police action." It would not be a "retaliatory strike." It would not be a "peacekeeping expedition." Whatever the justification, it would be a premeditated act of war by one sovereign nation against another sovereign nation. The United States Constitution makes provision for formal declaration of war. It clearly invests the Congress -- not the president -- with the power to make such declaration. But in the history of modern American warfare, Congress has, in effect, gone "missing in action" when it comes to making the determination to exercise the most deadly serious authority imaginable in a democracy: the authority to destroy other nations through the use of military force. Our purpose here is not to argue for or against the invasion of Iraq; we'll save that topic for another day. Rather, our purpose is to urge Congress to live up to its constitutional responsibility before a single American life is risked in pursuit of Saddam. For too long, through too many undeclared wars that have cost too many American lives, our elected representatives in Congress have taken the coward's way out, hiding behind an anemic War Powers Resolution Act that bids the president only to seek the consent of the congressional leadership before unleashing military might. But if American troops are placed in harm's way in Iraq, it will not be a surprise attack. Not with President Bush himself declaring that he will "use all the tools at our disposal" to destroy Saddam. The war preparations are too openly underway, the beating of the drums sounding too loudly, to talk about covert warfare or worry about losing the element of surprise at this point. So if there is to be an invasion, let it come at the declaration of Congress. After a full and open debate. After members of Congress have looked into their own hearts and listened to their own constituents and fully considered all of the ramifications and consequences. Let the president follow the direction of Congress rather than the other way around. In calling for hearings to question Bush officials about their intentions toward Iraq, U.S. Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said this week: "I want them to define their objectives in Iraq. I want to know what scenarios there are for eliminating the chemical and biological weapons that Iraq may use if we attack. I'd like to know how important our allies are in this." Congressional hearings are in order at the very least. But if an invasion truly is in the wind, much more should must be demanded of Congress as a prerequisite. Every member of Congress took an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States; it's time they took that oath seriously.