|
No United Voice for War on Iraq The vote of Congress to grant the administration open-ended permission to attack Iraq is a serious disappointment for Americans who desire our government to be a better neighbor in the world community. Yet, the outcome of the vote was more divided than many previously expected. This is due to the hundreds of thousands of concerned citizens who have been compelled to take action on this issue. The results of the votes on the administration's war resolutions make one thing clear: contrary to the President's claim, Americans do not speak with a united voice on the issue of attacking Iraq. On October 10, 2002 the House of Representatives voted 296 in favor, 133 against, a resolution that grants broad powers to the President to attack Iraq. In the Senate, on October 11, the resolution passed with 77 for and 23 against. Reports indicate that, before the vote, calls to many members of Congress were running overwhelmingly against war. The disconnect between public outcry against war and the resulting votes surely raises questions about the effectiveness of our democratic system. In fact, one White House official said in the New York Times, "The strategy, is to use Congress as leverage, leverage to bring around the public…" The yea or nay votes mentioned above were not, however, the only votes that occurred on the Iraq issue that week. A number of amendments were offered to the resolutions which show a more complex sentiment coming from Congress. In both the House and Senate, amendments were put forth encouraging the president to work through the United Nations. A number of Members of Congress voted for both the amendments calling for diplomacy and the war resolutions. Opposition to war on Iraq, as well as the larger scheme spelled out in the President's National Security Strategy, continues to grow. The administration's rush to attack Iraq, compared with its more deliberate use of diplomacy to deal with North Korea's existing and known nuclear weapons programs, highlights the inconsistency of the administration's foreign policy. This is not lost on the American people. A recent Gallup poll shows that Americans are becoming ever more skeptical about the President's war on terrorism. Thankfully, Russia and France have been working to modify the President's proposed UN resolution for arms inspections in Iraq into something more than thinly veiled permission slip for a US invasion. Likewise, Congress must guarantee that the administration pursues a fair and credible inspections process, that hearings are held on this issue after the elections, and that the President's actions do not result in unnecessary war.
1. Find out who represents
you Click here to find our if your Senators voted for war
The Office of Senator Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3121 Contact your House member: Office of Representatives Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3121
Sample Letter: You voted the wrong way Find
out what else you can do Peace Action: Practical,
Positive Alternatives for Peace To reprint or repost this information, please call Carrie Benzschawel at (202) 862-9740 ext. 3041. |