Saturday, Oct 12, 2002
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By Sridhar Krishnaswami
The manner in which law makers in the House and the Senate responded to the call of the White House is undoubtedly a clear foreign and national security policy victory for Mr. Bush which will go the distance in strengthening the hand of the administration as it deals with the major powers in the United Nations Security Council. "The days of Iraq acting as an outlaw state are coming to an end'', Mr. Bush said in a Statement. " The Congress has spoken clearly to the international community and the United Nations Security Council. Saddam Hussein and his outlaw regime pose a grave threat to the region, the world and the United States. Inaction is not an option, disarmament is a must'', the President argued. The 296 to 133 margin in the House and the 77 to 23 vote in the Senate stands out in sharp contrast to what took place 11 years ago when the Senior George Bush went to Capitol Hill asking for authority to throw Mr. Hussein out of Kuwait. In spite of an international coalition already in place the vote then was 250 to 183 in the House; and much more divisive in the Senate — 52 to 47. This time around only six Republicans in the House and One in the Senate — Lincoln Chaffee of Rhode Island — opposed their President. Significantly in spite of support from their leader in the House, Richard Gephardt,126 out of the 208 Democrats voted against the Iraq resolution. In the Senate, 21 out of the 50 Democrats voted against the resolution with the Vermont Independent also joining them. The Congressional action on Iraq comes with less than four weeks to go for the November elections where the President's policy vis-a-vis Baghdad is a top issue. Democrats were clearly worried that dissenting with the President on a security issue could come with a political price tag. In the aftermath of the vote on Capitol Hill, Democrats are reminding the President that the passage of the Iraq resolution is not an endorsement of the "new policy'' of pre-emption. And Mr. Gephardt has argued that "completely bypassing the U.N. would set a dangerous precedent that would undoubtedly be used by other countries in the future to our and the world's detriment''. The day began on Thursday with law makers in the House and the Senate acting on a number of competing resolutions and amendments. For example similar resolutions were introduced in both chambers that would have committed the United States to work with the United Nations in disarming Iraq and for the President to come back for a second time for the use of force. These went down and by comfortable margins. In the Senate what really made the difference was the Majority Leader, Tom Daschle, coming out in full support of the President which took the sting out of any attempt to delay vote on the Resolution.'' I believe it is important for America to speak with one voice. It is neither a Democratic resolution nor a Republican resolution. It is now a statement of American resolve and values'', Mr. Daschle remarked. AP reports: Iraq's Deputy Premier Tariq Aziz said on Friday Iraq was ready to confront any attack, giving a first response to a vote by the U.S. Congress approving the possible use of military might against his country. ``I am not surprised by the resolution because America's decision is a decision of its president who can rally the Congress's support,'' Mr. Aziz, who is in Lebanon as part of a regional tour seeking support, said following a meeting with the Lebanese President, Emile Lahoud. Asked if he expected imminent American military action against Iraq, Mr. Aziz, who arrived in Beirut Thursday, said: ``I don't know. We do not set the timing, but we are prepared for it at all times, even if it came after one hour.'' On Thursday, both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate passed a resolution authorizing President George W. Bush to use military force, if necessary, to compel Iraq to get rid of its biological and chemical weapons and disband its nuclear weapons program. Bush told reporters afterward that the resolution ``sends a clear message to the Iraqi regime: it must disarm and comply with U.N. resolutions or it will be forced to comply.'' Mr. Aziz said the Iraqi people, army and leadership are not frightened by American threats, ``because we have had the experience of a war with the U.S. in 1991. At the time (Washington) had the support of all NATO members and 33 nations.''
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