Lawmakers Want Notice Before Iraq War

AP via Yahoo news ^ | 4 AUG 2002 | CALVIN WOODWARD

[rwfromkansas]

There is already a long precedent that presidents can launch offensives without notifying Congress, though the War Powers Resolution does require notification within 48 hours after explaining why. Dubya going to Congress first won't stop a future Dem president from wagging the dog. Furthermore, notifying Congress will put our troops in danger. I hope Bush won't do it.

[Teacher317]

Maybe they should read the Constitution once in a while. Declarations of war are a Congressional power, not an executive one. They are the elected representatives who are supposed to give notice of war, not the President. It's amazing that we've gone so far towards making that document irrelevant that conservatives here rabidly defend the president's power to use the military at his own whim (whether for noble goals or not), while happily disregarding the word of Congress and intentionally keeping them in the dark.

I'm all for taking Iraq even deeper into the Stone Age (while keeping an eye on China in the Taiwan Straits), but I wish we would do things Constitutionally once in a while. Instead, political maneuvering has taken precedence over proper governance. It's terribly sad, and a very bad sign for the future. Just imagine what the next Clinton-clone in office (Hillary?) will get away with simply because we now expect the President to act with the same unopposable conviction as any monarch.

[listenhillary]

Biden says he doesn't know. "It's like reading the entrails of goats", he lamely tells Russert.

I'd send him the entrails, but I haven't figured out how to print "Saddam has WMD out the yinyang" on them. Also after getting the printing done, would they be readable after they arrived?

I'd probably be jailed for a Te**orist act.

[Aric2000]

Congress already gave Bush permission to do whatever necessary to protect the United States and to attack those that would use terrorism against us. Bush can prove that Saddam is helping the terrorists, so therefore he already has congressional approval.

Already DONE!!!

Let's JUST DO IT!!!

[B-bone]

I think this is a reasonable request. I see no problem with asking President Bush to make sure that the letter to Congress notifying them of action in Iraq is post-marked by midnight on the day the full scale offensive begins.

[ravingnutter]

AP is a little slow...I posted the info about it here on 07/30/02 (Source link is there):

S.J.RES.41

Sponsor: Sen Specter, Arlen(introduced 7/18/2002)

Latest Major Action: 7/18/2002 Referred to Senate committee.

Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.

Title: A joint resolution calling for Congress to consider and vote on a resolution for the use of force by the United States Armed Forces against Iraq before such force is deployed.

See also:

H.J.RES.109

Sponsor: Rep DeFazio, Peter A.(introduced 7/26/2002)

Latest Major Action: 7/26/2002 Referred to House committee.

Status: Referred to the House Committee on International Relations.

Title: Calling for Congress to consider and vote on a resolution for the use of force by the United States Armed Forces against Iraq before such force is deployed.

And especially...

H.CON.RES.286

Sponsor: Rep Issa, Darrell E.(introduced 12/11/2001)

Latest Major Action: 12/11/2001 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the House Committee on International Relations.

Title: Expressing support for the President in using all means at his disposal to encourage the establishment of a democratically elected government in Iraq.

[varon]

They want advance notice so they can leak it to the press.

Yes, so they can get the reporters there first and get the cameras set up ;-)

[Teacher317]

Then what is this "tell Congress first" whining all about?

[Aric2000]

You tell a lie often enough.....

[Soul Citizen]

Notice: Congress, you cannot be trusted... Therefore you will not be informed.

Congress your duty is to go home and tell it strait to the American people, that we are about to engage the enemy, and they are to begin preparations for any and all possibilities- Effective Immediately!!!

Citizenry: Your duty is to begin disaster preparations and the stocking of amunition and non perishable items.

The serious level and nature of the threat in this instance is real and not, I repeat "NOT A DRILL".

Recent indications of serious environmental health outbreaks in England and in parts of the states suggest organized foul play to the degree to perceive these outbreaks as acts of warfare.

[xp38]

Maxwell Smart: Chief! Isn't what we are about to discuss top secret?

Chief: resignedly...Yes Max.

Smart: Then I demand we use the cone of silence.

Chief: Oh no Max...we've been having some technical trouble with the cone of silence this week. Can't we use another method?

Smart: We could use the cough code I suppose.

Chief: Ok I'll start...cough cough cough cough cough cough.

Smart: Very Interesting...cough cough cough cough cough cough cough.

Chief: Yes and furthermore...cough cough cough cough cough cough

Smart:Chief was that last cough a real one or code?

:)From memory so it isn't verbatim. I always found the cone of silence the funniest bit of comedy on tv. I was usually ROFL.

[StriperSniper]

I was thinking along the lines of "Quick Joe! Turn on CNN!"

[crystalk]

I think it quite likely that August 5 will be remembered as the opening gun of the Iraq campaign, and that in turn as the beginning of WWIII.

You heard it here first.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

Joe, Duck, Quick!! Oh, bummer, man, that must really hurt. Joe, er, Joe you there?

[fogarty]

"Congress already gave Bush permission to do whatever necessary to protect the United States and to attack those that would use terrorism against us. Bush can prove that Saddam is helping the terrorists, so therefore he already has congressional approval. "

If the Bush administration already has solid evidence that Saddam Hussein was involved in the 9/11 act of terrorism, then why hasn't he briefed Congress on it? Do you honestly think it would be such a matter of close national security that such evidence be kept away from our elected representatives? The power to declare war rests SOLELY in Congress, and they granted Bush the power to act with the restriction being he provide evidence of their links to 9/11.

[fogarty]

"Notice: Congress, you cannot be trusted... Therefore you will not be informed."

Well all due respect, but this comment is utter BS. It reeks of an imperial presidency, above the law, and above the people. It has the makings of a tyranny, and the destruction of the US Constitution. When the US went to war in 1941, we had the FULL SUPPORT of congress and the American people. We didn't shut congress down, and we didn't bypass the Constitution.

[crystalk]

The bombing at al-Nuqaib today was the largest attack upon Iraq by the US/UK forces since the Gulf War of 1991.

It took place just one day short of the Hiroshima anniversary tomorrow.

Remember, Nostradamus said WWII and WWIII would be 57 years apart.

[Bogey78O]

People in Hell want ice water.

[MileHi]

Lawmakers Want Notice Before Iraq War

Their first notice should be the arrest of Biden and Dashole.

Long range dittos

[thedilg]

Every day that passes gives Saddam another day to implement his plan against us. One of these days he will get it all together and I suspect very soon. Secondly one starts wars in the desert in the fall. Every day of delay puts Saddsm one day closer to his plan. We should have already started. We are tempting the fates.

Godspeed, The Dilg