Replies

Standing Against Saddam — Then & Now
Posted Oct. 8, 2002
By Zoli Simon
Published: Tuesday, October 15, 2002
With President George W. Bush reaching out to leaders of Congress for their support in the ongoing public-diplomacy battle to get the legislative branch on board for a war against Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, some constituents are finding it useful to consider the way their current members of Congress voted a decade ago, in 1991, on a resolution authorizing the use of force against Saddam in the first gulf war.

A few Democrats, such as the hawkish Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut and the moderate John Breaux of Louisiana, voted for the resolution. Then-Sen. Al Gore of Tennessee traded his "aye" vote to Republican leader Bob Dole of Kansas for a prime-time spot in the televised debate.

Several prominent senators still on Capitol Hill voted against the 1991 gulf war resolution, including Sens. Joseph Biden (D-Del.), Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.), Carl Levin (D-Mich.), Tom Daschle (D-S.D.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Republican Chuck Grassley of Iowa. Newly minted candidate for senator from New Jersey Frank Lautenberg, then a senator, also voted against the resolution.

The several prominent House members voting against going after Saddam include now-Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), and Clintonistas Leon Panetta and Norman Mineta — Mineta being the Democratic Bush transportation secretary who believes that former Veeps, retired generals and 5-year-old girls should receive the same amount of scrutiny at airports as young Muslim males from the Middle East, lest the authorities engage in profiling.

NAACP administrator Kweisi Mfume, proud homosexual Barney Frank, Minority Leader Dick Gephardt and Iraq-visiting jihadi-apologist David Bonior, all Democrats, also voted against using force to drive Saddam from Kuwait. Now-Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) similarly cast his vote against teaching Saddam a lesson. He was in the company of New Mexico gubernatorial-wannabe Bill Richardson and New York Rep. Charley Rangel. They were joined by Daschle protégé Tim Johnson and radical leftist Ron Dellums in their vote against taking on the brutal dictator of Baghdad. Last, but not least, Saddam-apologist Jim McDermott, who recently visited Iraq and questioned the credibility of President Bush, while placing his trust in Iraqi assurances, also voted against the resolution to use force.

Below is a list of U.S. senators and representatives* who voted against the 1991 gulf war resolution. It will be interesting to see how they vote just before an election, with polls showing overwhelming U.S. support for war to destroy Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction and force a regime change in Iraq.

* All Democrats unless otherwise noted

SENATE

Connecticut

Dodd, Christopher

Delaware

Biden Jr, Joseph

Hawaii

Akaka, Daniel

Inouye, Daniel

Iowa

Harkin, Tom

Grassley, Chuck (R)

Maryland

Mikulski, Barbara

Sarbanes, Paul

Massachusetts

Kennedy, Edward

Kerry, John

Michigan

Levin, Carl

Minnesota

Wellstone, Paul

Montana

Baucus, Max

New Mexico

Bingaman, Jeff

New Jersey

Lautenberg, Frank — running for Bob Torricelli's
seat

North Dakota

Conrad, Kent

South Carolina

Hollings, Ernest

South Dakota

Daschle, Thomas

Vermont

Leahy, Patrick

West Virginia

Byrd, Robert

Rockefeller IV, John

Wisconsin

Kohl, Herb

HOUSE

California

Matsui, Robert

Pelosi, Nancy

Boxer, Barbara — then in House, now in Senate

Miller, George

Stark, Fortney Pete

Mineta, Norman — now Bush transportation secretary

Panetta, Leon — Clintonista, not in the House anymore

Dooley, Cal

Waxman, Henry

Roybal-Allard, Lucille

Waters, Maxine

Connecticut

DeLauro, Rosa L.

Georgia

Lewis, John

Hawaii

Abercrombie, Neil

Illinois

Lipinski, William O.

Evans, Lane

Durbin, Dick — then in House, now in Senate

Indiana

Visclosky, Peter

Roemer, Tim

Louisiana

Jefferson, William J.

Maryland

Cardin, Benjamin L.

Hoyer, Steny H.

Morella, Constance (R)

Mfume, Kweisi — now leader of the NAACP

Massachusetts

Neal, Richard E.

Frank, Barney

Markey, Ed

Michigan

Conyers Jr., John

Kildee, Dale

Bonior, David E.

Levin, Sander

Minnesota

Sabo, Martin Olav

Peterson, Collin C.

Oberstar, James L.

Mississippi

Taylor, Gene

Missouri

Clay Jr., William "Lacy"

Gephardt, Dick

New Jersey

Andrews, Robert E.

Payne, Donald M.

New Mexico

Richardson, Bill — running for Governor

New York

Schumer, Chuck — then House, now Senate

Towns, Edolphus

Owens, Major

Rangel, Charles B.

Serrano, José E.

Lowey, Nita

McHugh, John M.

Slaughter, Louise

LaFalce, John J.

North Carolina

Price, David

North Dakota

Dorgan, Byron — then House, now Senate

Ohio

Kaptur, Marcy

Sawyer, Thomas

Traficant, Jim — expelled from House

Oregon

DeFazio, Peter

Pennsylvania

Kanjorski, Paul E.

Coyne, William J.

Rhode Island

Reed, Jack — then House, now Senate

South Dakota

Johnson, Tim — then House, now Senate

Tennessee

Ford, Harold

Texas

Gonzalez, Charlie A.

Vermont

Sanders, Bernie (I)

Virginia

Boucher, Rick

Moran, Jim

Washington

Dicks, Norman D.

McDermott, Jim

Wisconsin

Kleczka, Gerald D.

Obey, David R.

Zoli Simon is an intern for Insight magazine.

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