Lawmakers back Bush, disagree on Iraq plan
Posted on 09/13/2002 7:10:56 AM PDT by MeekOneGOP
Lawmakers back Bush, disagree on Iraq plan
Some want approval of other nations before agreeing to attack
09/13/2002
WASHINGTON - President Bush got high marks in Congress for taking his case against Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein to the United Nations on Thursday, but congressional leaders still have not agreed on a plan to authorize U.S. military force.
Republican leaders in the House and Senate indicated they were ready for such a vote before the Nov. 5 elections, but Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., said he was not yet convinced.
"I don't think that the case for a pre-emptive attack has been made conclusively yet," Mr. Daschle said. "There are a lot of questions out there."
The president, who summoned Mr. Daschle and other congressional leaders to the White House last week, has vowed to seek congressional approval for any move against Iraq. He wants a vote from Congress before it leaves town for the Nov. 5 elections. And again Thursday, a senior administration official reiterated the request after Mr. Bush addressed the U.N. General Assembly in New York.
"It would be a real pity if Congress were not to speak with one voice shortly here," the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. "We don't want a situation in which Congress is not acting and the U.N. is. That would make no sense whatsoever."
Getting ready for debate
In the Senate, Minority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., said aides were already working on a resolution of support that could be ready for floor debate in a couple of weeks.
"We should show that we are united in our support of this president and in the goals that he has laid out," Mr. Lott said.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., agreed, joining Mr. Lott at a Capitol news conference to press the case for prompt congressional action. A quick vote of support, he said, would help the president round up support around the world, which has been lacking.
Noting reports that U.S. troops were already headed to the Persian Gulf, the former Vietnam prisoner of war, who lost to Mr. Bush in the Republican presidential primaries, said Congress should vote before it's too late.
"I would not like, as a representative of the people of Arizona, to vote ex post facto," he said.
Backing a slower pace
Mr. Daschle, though, said it was more important to "do it right," rather than rush a vote.
"If we do it right," he added, "we will know when the time is right for us to have this debate on the Senate floor."
In the meantime, he ticked off a long list of outstanding questions, from how many other nations might agree with the United States to use military force to who would govern Iraq if Mr. Hussein were gone.
And the senator said he worried the issue could become too politically tainted by this fall's campaigns.
"This is something that we will have to work very carefully and closely together with the administration before we make any decisions," Mr. Daschle said.
Mr. Bush had delivered the United Nations a strong case against Mr. Hussein, the senator said, but the extent of international support remains "a critical element to our overall prospects for success."
Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., who has been a particularly vocal critic of a U.S. attack on Iraq, praised Mr. Bush's U.N. speech but was also waiting to gauge world reaction.
"War should never be the first option in international affairs," he said. "It should be the last."
In the House, Minority Leader Dick Gephardt, D-Mo., said the president had taken "a constructive and positive step" at the United Nations, but, like Mr. Daschle and Mr. Hagel, he was looking for Mr. Bush to bring along an international coalition to deal with Mr. Hussein.
"It's a very important goal," Mr. Gephardt said, "and I think we need to achieve it."
Congress, which just returned last week after a monthlong summer recess, is facing a heavy workload, as well as pressures from members seeking re-election to finish by mid-October so they can campaign back home.
In addition to Iraq, the president's proposal for a new Cabinet-level Department of Homeland Security and all the appropriations for the new fiscal year beginning Oct. 1 are still pending in various stages in the House and Senate.
Besides, House Majority Leader Dick Armey, R-Flower Mound, who already has questioned the need for U.S. military intervention in Iraq, suggested any Iraq resolution would stall in the Senate.
"Saddam Hussein will die of old age before the Senate leadership gets it on the floor," he quipped.
Please let me know if you want ON or OFF my President Bush ping list!. . .don't be shy. 
Daschle is an obstructionist. Plain and simple.
Why is Daschle afraid of public debate and votes of the entire senate.
He should be an embarrassment to the Democrats but ignorance is on their side.
I tried to say that Clinton lacked the fortitude to do anything, his every move was dictated by opinion polls, and he left office after 8 years leaving a huge foreign policy disaster.
But, still to these people nothing is as important as drug care coverage for seniors. There is no logic, no arguing. They just don't understand that the DNC is not the party of JFK, it is probably the biggest enemy this country faces. It is the party of Tom Dashle and Hillary Clinton-
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.