[casi] Bush's Iraq Proposal

[SPREWELLAIEC5MI@DELETETHISaol.com]

Here's the text of Bush's Iraq proposal as submitted to the Congress and
Senate. Note the ending that Bush may take "all means that he determines to
be appropriate" to "...restore international peace and security in the
region." That leaves open the possibility that he could say "Let's go bomb
Syria" and according to this language in the proposal, that would be
acceptable. It opens up alot of room for serious abuse and you know Bush will
abuse it if possible, and this makes it possible.
                                        Andrew
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http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/09.21B.1st.strikes.htm
Text of Bush's Iraq Proposal
By The Associated Press
Thursday, 19 September, 2002
A text of the joint resolution that President Bush asked Congress to approve:
Joint Resolution to authorize the use of United States Armed Forces against
Iraq.
Whereas Congress in 1998 concluded that Iraq was then in material and
unacceptable breach of its international obligations and thereby threatened
the vital interests of the United States and international peace and
security, stated the reasons for that conclusion, and urged the president to
take appropriate action to bring Iraq into compliance with its international
obligations (Public Law 105-235);
Whereas Iraq remains in material and unacceptable breach of its international
obligations by, among other things, continuing to possess and develop a
significant chemical and biological weapons capability, actively seeking a
nuclear weapons capability, and supporting and harboring terrorist
organizations, thereby continuing to threaten the national security interests
of the United States and international peace and security;
Whereas Iraq persists in violating resolutions of the United Nations Security
Council by continuing to engage in brutal repression of its civilian
population, including the Kurdish peoples, thereby threatening international
peace and security in the region, by refusing to release, repatriate, or
account for non-Iraqi citizens wrongfully detained by Iraq, and by failing to
return property wrongfully seized by Iraq from Kuwait;
Whereas the current Iraqi regime has demonstrated its capability and
willingness to use weapons of mass destruction against other nations and its
own people;
Whereas the current Iraqi regime has demonstrated its continuing hostility
toward, and willingness to attack, the United States, including by attempting
in 1993 to assassinate former President Bush and by firing on many thousands
of occasions on United States and Coalition Armed Forces engaged in enforcing
the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council;
Whereas members of al-Qaida, an organization bearing responsibility for
attacks on the United States, its citizens, and interests, including the
attacks that occurred on Sept. 11, 2001, are known to be in Iraq;
Whereas Iraq continues to aid and harbor other international terrorist
organizations, including organizations that threaten the lives and safety of
American citizens;
Whereas the attacks on the United States of Sept. 11, 2001. underscored the
gravity of the threat that Iraq will transfer weapons of mass destruction to
international terrorist organizations;
Whereas the United States has the inherent right, as acknowledged in the
United Nations Charter, to use force in order to defend itself;
Whereas Iraq's demonstrated capability and willingness to use weapons of mass
destruction, the high risk that the current Iraqi regime will either employ
those weapons to launch a surprise attack against the United States or its
armed forces or provide them to international terrorists who would do so, and
the extreme magnitude of harm that would result to the United States and its
citizens from such an attack, combine to justify the use of force by the
United States in order to defend itself;
UNDATED: to defend itself.
Whereas Iraq is in material breach of its disarmament and other obligations
under United Nations Security Council Resolution 687, to cease repression of
its civilian population that threatens international peace and security under
United Nations Security Council Resolution 688, and to cease threatening its
neighbors of United Nations operations in Iraq under United Nations Security
Council Resolution 949, and United Nations Security Council Resolution 678
authorizes use of all necessary means to compel Iraq to comply with these
``subsequent relevant resolutions;''
Whereas Congress in the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq
Resolution (Public Law 102-1) has authorized the president to use the Armed
Forces of the United States to achieve full implementation of Security
Council Resolutions 660, 661, 662, 664, 665, 666, 667, 669, 670, 674, and
677, pursuant to Security Council Resolution 678;
Whereas Congress in section 1095 of Public Law 102-190 has stated that it
``supports the use of all necessary means to achieve the goals of Security
Council Resolution 687 as being consistent with the Authorization for Use of
Military Force Against Iraq (Public Law 102-1),'' that Iraq's repression of
its civilian population violates United Nations Security Council Resolution
688 and ``constitutes a continuing threat to the peace, security, and
stability of the Persian Gulf region,'' and that Congress ``supports the use
of all necessary means to achieve the goals of Resolution 688'';
Whereas Congress in the Iraq Liberation Act (Public Law 105-338) has
expressed its sense that it should be the policy of the United States to
support efforts to remove from power the current Iraqi regime and promote the
emergence of a democratic government to replace that regime;
Whereas the president has authority under the Constitution to take action in
order to deter and prevent acts of international terrorism against the United
States, as Congress recognized in the joint resolution on Authorization for
Use of Military Force (Public Law 107-40); and
Whereas the president has authority under the Constitution to use force in
order to defend the national security interests of the United States;
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of
America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This joint resolution may be cited as the ``Further Resolution on Iraq''.
SECTION 2. AUTHORIZATION FOR USE OF UNITED STATES ARMS FORCES.
The president is authorized to use all means that he determines to be
appropriate, including force, in order to enforce the United Nations Security
Council resolutions referenced above, defend the national security interests
of the United States against the threat posed by Iraq, and restore
international peace and security in the region.

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