Clinton Favors U.N. Backing on Iraq

AP via NYTimes.com ^ | 9/27/02

[GeneD]

Filed at 8:04 a.m. ET

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Former President Clinton said Friday he favors getting United Nations backing for the use of force, if necessary, to disarm Iraq's President Saddam Hussein.

``He's got a very dangerous (weapons) program. We need to eliminate it,'' Clinton said on ABC's ``Good Morning America.''

Interviewed from Africa where he is on tour, the former president said, ``I think we ought to go to the United Nations. I think we ought to get a tough resolution which basically says we'll take Saddam Hussein up on his commitment to free and unfettered inspections.''

``If he doesn't comply,'' Clinton said, a U.N. resolution should make clear that the international community ``is authorized to use force.''

Clinton declined to be drawn into a discussion of the harsh criticism of President Bush earlier this week by former Vice President Al Gore, saying he hadn't read Gore's speech.

Gore told a San Francisco audience he thought Bush's recent heavy focus on Saddam was undermining the broader U.S. war against terrorism and the al Qaida network.

``I'm overseas and I don't like to get into comments on our foreign policy when I'm there,'' Clinton said. But he also said, ``I think we can walk and chew gum at the same time. That is, I think we can turn up the heat on Iraq and retain our focus on terror.''

``Let's don't relax our efforts. Let's intensify our efforts,'' the former president said. ``They (al-Qaida terrorists) still have plans to target Americans within the United states and elsewhere and I think we should all support the administration and whatever has to be done to eradicate this network.''

``I do think that all of us should not forget that it was Osama bin Laden and al Qaida who murdered those 3,100 people on Sept. 11,'' he said.

Clinton said he was somewhat troubled by the administration's revision in U.S. military doctrine to shift emphasis to a pre-emptive first-strike posture rather than one requiring provocation before attack.

``I think, obviously, the further you get away from the imminence of an attack, the slipperier the slope,'' he said. ``But when you have ongoing terrorist networks, for example, you see the argument for it. But it also is fraught with difficulty.''

Appearing on CBS' ``The Early Show,'' Clinton said he thought there was ``still a chance'' for Bush and Democrats to come together on a strong congressional resolution. ``I don't think we should characterize every difference of policy opinion as a partisan difference,'' he said.

[GeneD]

He's here! He's there! He's EVERYWHERE!!!!

[<1/1,000,000th%]

Who cares?

[Diogenesis]

X42 heard Barbra and Meathead.

Disgraced, impeached exPres with murderer of Americans.