Byrd Threatens Delay on Iraq Measure

http://abcnews.go.com/ ^ | 10/08/02 | The Associated Press

[ATOMIC_PUNK]

W A S H I N G T O N, Oct. 8 — CIA Director George Tenet told lawmakers Tuesday that Saddam Hussein might not use his weapons of mass destruction unless provoked by an imminent U.S.-led attack.

Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., a fierce opponent of the President Bush's Iraq war resolution, indicated he would use delaying tactics in an effort to block the measure. Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., said that could easily put off a final vote until next week.

Eventual approval of the administration-backed resolution still appeared likely and it was gaining broad bipartisan support in both chambers. A final House vote was expected by late Thursday.

"We take this step knowing that Saddam Hussein is a threat to the American people, to Iraq's neighbors and to the civilized world at large," said House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., as the House opened its three-day debate on the measure.

Bush continued to try to drum up U.S. and international support for his hardline policies.

A day after he told the nation Saddam might be plotting to attack the United States with biological and chemical weapons, Bush told a Tennessee audience Tuesday, "The full force and fury of the United States military will be unleashed" should he decide to use force against Iraq.

"And make no mistake about it, we will prevail," Bush said.

Despite Bush's assertion that the Iraqi leader might be planning a chemical or biological attack on U.S. interests, Tenet suggested Baghdad "for now appears to be drawing a line short of conducting terrorist attacks with conventional or chemical or biological weapons."

Should Saddam conclude that a U.S.-led attack against his country could not be deterred, "he probably would become much less constrained in adopting terrorist action," Tenet said in a letter read before a joint hearing of the House and Senate intelligence committees.

Tenet also discussed Iraq privately with a group of senators.

The Bush administration has made the case that going after Saddam is necessary because he has the capability to use weapons of mass destruction and is trying to expand it. The administration also stresses that he has used them in the past.

Tenet provided a slightly different take, suggesting that Saddam's possession of such weapons doesn't necessarily mean he'll use them soon.

Byrd, who has been criticizing the Iraq war resolution daily since the Senate began its debate on the measure last Thursday, told colleagues at a party luncheon that he planned to make full use of Senate rules to try to derail the legislation, participants said.

Byrd, a former majority leader, is widely regarded for his knowledge and skilled use of Senate rules.

Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., a Democratic sponsor of the resolution, complained about the tactics. "If Sen. Byrd continues to use all the procedural rules the Senate allows him, there's no way we are going to get anything until next week," Lieberman told reporters. "This is too important a matter to frustrate."

Daschle suggested the delaying tactics might only be postponing the inevitable approval of the measure. He said some Democrats would still try to modify the wording to narrow the scope of the resolution.

Daschle suggested a procedural vote scheduled for Thursday essentially to decide whether to stay on the bill or go to something else would be a critical vote that will signal the depth of the resolution's overall support.

Secretary of State Colin Powell, meeting with senators and House members, said the congressional resolution "will definitely strengthen my hand as I try to do the diplomatic work up in New York to get a United Nations Security Council resolution" demanding unimpeded weapons inspections in Iraq.

Powell said there was increasing support at the U.N. for a new inspections mandate. "All of my colleagues at the United Nations and others I've spoken to around the world clearly see the threat," he said.

Also Tuesday:

At the Pentagon, Defense Intelligence Agency official John Yurechko told reporters that Saddam is actively making biological and chemical weapons and trying to hide that fact from the world. He is "taking steps to conceal sensitive equipment and documentation in anticipation of new inspections," Yurechko said.

Sir Christopher Meyer, Britain's ambassador to the United States, told a foreign-policy audience in Washington, "As far as Saddam Hussein and weapons of mass destruction are concerned, for the international community inaction is not an option."

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Joseph Biden, D-Del., introduced a bill to offer immigrant visas and permanent U.S. residence to selected Iraqi scientists "in exchange for credible information on Iraq's weapons programs."

[biss5577]

He drives me nuts, too. He rants and raves--he likes to hear himself speak. As Brit Hume said the other night, he represents the actions of the senators of old--the way the Senate was run in the old days. (Something to that affect) Anyway, WV continues to reelect him because he gets mucho money from the fed gov't for the state.

[You Dirty Rats]

Being from Ohio I normally don't take up for West Virginia, but we need to remember that without their 5 electoral votes President Gore would be asking the Congress for a resolution to put Saddam on double-secret probation.

[tall_tex]

Byrd, like Gore, have been in Washington so long that they do not even know thier states. In WVA & TN, both brought home the bacon, thus they kept getting elected. I know algore lost Tn, in 00, I do not know who won WVA, some FReeper can probably help me out, although I think I remember that PGWB won that state also.

You are not going to stop the voting records of the folks in WVA, untill the government programs are reduced and eventually done away with, while being replaced with free enterprise type legislation to help create priviate sector jobs.

Thier Senator Byrd, has not been thier savior, he is the one that has kept them and thier state in economic bondage.

As for Senator Byrd, how can you deliver all that bacon with out being afflicted by high colesteral, some problems take care of themselves in time.

[operation clinton cleanup]

LOL! UBL was on double secret probation by dean clinton! Nevile Chamberlin Byrd is the ultimate argument for term limits.

[Newbomb Turk]

Byrd, who has been criticizing the Iraq war resolution daily since the Senate began its debate on the measure last Thursday, told colleagues at a party luncheon that he planned to make full use of Senate rules to try to derail the legislation, participants said.

After the next attack Byrd should be executed on the Capital steps. Post Haste !

[tall_tex]

Sorry, I disagree, force a vote now, make them defend thier no's at home with the voters.

[TaRaRaBoomDeAyGoreLostToday!]

bump

[TheExploited]

Bush stuck with Tenet despite numerous calls for his head after September 11. Tenet should walk the plank after today. He deserves it.

[antivenom]

HIYA AP!!!! Long time no see!

[MHGinTN]

Oh please, let Byrdbrain get up on the floor and rant and rave again ... maybe he'll have an aneurism and shut up for a decade.

[PhilDragoo]

Tenet should walk the plank after today. He deserves it.

CIA did such a fine job preventing 9/11--oh, that's right--

George W. Bush
President@whitehouse.gov
Fax: (202) 456-2461

[You Dirty Rats]

Someone needs to take Byrd aside and tell him this:

"Old, Senile and Democratic is no way to go through life son."

[PhilDragoo]

40. Dilatory, Absurd, or Frivolous Motions For the convenience of deliberative assemblies, it is necessary to allow some highly privileged motions to be renewed again and again after progress in debate or the transaction of any business, and to allow a single member, by calling for a division, to have another vote taken. If there was no provision for protecting the assembly, a minority of two members could be constantly raising questions of order and appealing from every decision of the chair, and calling for a division on every vote, even when it was nearly unanimous, and moving to lay motions on the table, and to adjourn, and offering amendments that are simply frivolous or absurd. By taking advantage of parliamentary forms and methods a small minority could practically stop the business of a deliberative assembly having short sessions, if there was no provision for such contingency. Congress met it by adopting this rule: "No dilatory motion shall be entertained by the speaker." But, without adopting any rule on the subject, every deliberative assembly has the inherent right to protect itself from being imposed upon by members using parliamentary forms to prevent it from doing the very thing for which it is in session, and which these forms were designed to assist, namely, to transact business. Therefore, whenever the chair is satisfied that members are using parliamentary forms merely to obstruct business, he should either not recognize them, or else rule them out of order. After the chair has been sustained upon an appeal, he should not entertain another appeal from the same obstructionists while they are engaged evidently in trying by that means to obstruct business. While the chair should always be courteous and fair, he should be firm in protecting the assembly from imposition, even though it be done in strict conformity with all parliamentary rules except this one, that no dilatory, absurd, or frivolous motions are allowed.

Should the member who renounced his party affiliation after his election to the body be the determiner of a shift in majority rule, that member shall be deprived of his johnson (which shall be held in escrow adjacent to his tonsils) and his proxy revert to the Minority Leader so as to reestablish the preexisting arrangement, the status quo ante.

[See also, Cloture through battlefield amputation, RRO, Ch. X, ss. 8-11.]

[dts32041]

As a former grand dragon klucker byrd's ideas haven't changed. He still doesn't want coloreds in the military and jews are the US's worse enemies.

He tolerates innoway cause he doesn't want to belittle a cripple.

[tanknetter]

I don't know what everyone's problem is with Byrd doing this. Putting the vote off a week works to the GOP's advantage: it's an additional week where the focus on the war vote will prevent the Democrats from demagauging the economy, medicare, social security, etc.

In his senility, Byrd is actually doing the GOP a HUGE favor ... allowing the President to play to his strengths going into the elections.

[eeriegeno]

Byrd is no doubt holding out for funding for a bridge in his district. As they say in West Virginie, 'make hay while the sun shines'. Damned old senile fool. There ought to be an age limit for members of congress.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., a fierce opponent of the President Bush's Iraq war resolution, indicated he would use delaying tactics in an effort to block the measure. Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., said that could easily put off a final vote until next week.

Bird brain is carrying the water for the duplicitous dims. They want to delay the vote until after the November elections. Let's see how it goes.

[cactusSharp]

Byrd can delay all he wants,he still will vote No
just like he did in 91. Some days,Byrd makes
Clinton look good....

[Judith Anne]

I agree, but, well NOBODY makes Clinton look good.

[cactusSharp]

it was sarcasm....lol...