Bush to 'seek approval' from Congress on Iraq
President: 'Saddam Hussein is a serious threat'
September 5, 2002 Posted: 1:44 AM EDT (0544 GMT)
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Calling
Saddam Hussein a "serious threat,"
President Bush said Wednesday he
would seek approval from Congress
about taking action against Iraq and
vowed to make the case against the
Iraqi leader on the international stage
as well.
"At the appropriate time, the administration
will go to the Congress to seek approval
necessary to deal with the threat," Bush
said at a meeting with congressional
leaders at the White House.
In making the administration case for a
"regime change" in Iraq, Bush said he
invited British Prime Minister Tony Blair to
Camp David for talks this Saturday. (Full
story) He also planned discussions with
other world leaders, including the
presidents of France, Russia and China. And Bush said he would talk about Iraq in
a speech to the U.N. General Assembly next week.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld met with senators on Capitol Hill for a
closed-door briefing Wednesday afternoon to discuss Iraq. Afterward, he said the
meeting was a regularly scheduled briefing on the war on terrorism and a number
of senators, both Democrats and Republicans said Rumsfeld revealed no new
intelligence.
"Saddam Hussein is a serious threat," Bush said. "He is a significant problem. And
it's something that this country must deal with. And today the process starts about
... our future and how best to deal with it."
After that meeting, congressional leaders said
Bush agreed to seek a resolution from
Congress should he decide to take military
action against Iraq.
"The president began to make his case to us today,"
said Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-South
Dakota, saying more "clarity" is needed. He added
that an attack on Iraq is not inevitable.
"It would not be my assumption that the military
course is the only action available to (the president)
today," Daschle said.
He and House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Illinois,
said that Bush said he would seek a congressional
resolution of support should he decide to strike Iraq.
Hastert said he expects such a resolution would
come before the current congressional session ends
in early October, "but that's speculation."
"In the meantime, that case has to be made to the
American people as well, and it will be part of the
Congress' role to do that as well," said Hastert.
Congressional leaders said they expected a debate on
Iraq policy to begin almost immediately.
A senior U.S. official involved in presidential
deliberations and at the meeting said Bush "had the
authority to act. What he is seeking is a resolution of
support." This official said the exact language in a resolution would be discussed in
the days and weeks ahead, but that the White House was "hopeful" Congress would
act before it adjourns.
Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, said Bush made a "convincing case" for taking
military action against Saddam, and he predicted both Congress and the American
people would support such a move.
"I think military action is inevitable," said
House Majority Whip Tom Delay, R-Texas.
But some Democrats think otherwise.
House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt,
D-Missouri, described the meeting as the
start of developing a strategy for dealing
with the Iraqi president. "I don't think there
is one way to deal with this at this point.
There will be an explanation at the United
Nations of perhaps ways of dealing with
this short of military power," Gephardt
said.
In his comments, Bush stopped short of saying the United States would launch a
military strike against Iraq, but he made it clear he wanted something done about
Saddam.
The White House accuses Iraq of trying to obtain weapons of mass destruction in
violation of U.N. resolutions ending the 1991 Persian Gulf War.
"Doing nothing about that serious threat is not an option for the United States,"
Bush said.
In a letter to congressional leaders, Bush said he would "seek congressional support
for U.S. action to do whatever is necessary to deal with the threat posed by
Saddam Hussein's regime." He said Congress can "play an important role" in
building a consensus for action. (Text of letter)
Lawmakers said they want to know Bush's
timetable for a military offensive, how many
troops and how much money would be
involved, the feasibility of pursuing such a
strategy without support from a coalition of
other nations, and whether the administration
would accept a new round of weapons
inspections in Iraq.
Complicating the administration's strategy is the pressure on Iraq to allow United
Nations weapons inspectors back into the country. U.S. officials say they believe
Saddam either will not allow inspectors back in or will allow them back only to
frustrate them.
Bush voiced his frustration with Saddam.
"For 11 long years, Saddam Hussein has sidestepped, crawfished, wheedled out of
any agreement that he had made not to develop weapons of mass destruction,
agreements that he has made to treat the people within his country with respect,"
the president said. "And so I am going to call upon the world to recognize he is
stiffing the world."
Secretary of State Colin Powell said Wednesday that
the Bush administration believes inspectors should
return to Iraq, but is skeptical that they will be
allowed to do their jobs.
He said that Bush, when he addresses the U.N.
General Assembly September 12, will say,
"Inspections will be an issue, but it is not the
primary issue. The primary issue is: how do we get
Iraq to comply with its obligations under these
various U.N. resolutions."
Clinton: Cooperate with allies
Appearing on CNN's "Larry King Live" on
Tuesday, former President Bill Clinton said
Bush should have congressional approval,
not simply advice, before undertaking
military action in Iraq. And Clinton
indicated that he favors cooperation with
U.S. allies in making a decision. (Full story)
The question is not whether to attack Iraq,
but how, and under what circumstances,
Clinton said.
Former U.S. Sen. Bob Dole, also speaking
with Larry King, said he'd recommend
military action "only if we not only consult
with Congress, but have a vote. And then I think I would try the arms inspection
one more time, but not let Iraq delay and dither and all those things."
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