The following is an archived copy of a message sent to a Discussion List run by the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq.
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[ Presenting plain-text part of multi-format email ] While we may have lost the vote in the House, no one expected that we would win 133 Members of Congress to our side. This is only the beginning. Help us sustain the struggle in Washington and win back the nation. EMERGENCY FUND-RAISING DINNER - Join us 6 pm this Saturday, October 12th, at the HILTON Alexandria Mark Center, 5000 Seminary Road, Alexandria, VA 22311 to support the humanitarian and educational work of the Education for Peace in Iraq Center (EPIC) and LIFE for Relief & Development. Speakers will include Ambassador Edward Peck, Br. Mahdi Bray, Executive Director of MAS Freedom Foundation and the Honorable Congressman from Michigan, John Conyers. Also invited are Former UN Chief Weapons Inspector Scott Ritter, Representative Nick Rahall II and Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia. RSVP today by calling Jen Nader at 202/543-6176 or visit http://epic-usa.org/action/emergencyfundraiser.php for more information. Together we can stop President Bush's rush to war! - - - - - - - - - EPIC PRESS RELEASE PRESIDENT DENIED THE OVERWELMING SUPPORT HE SOUGHT: Congress divided on Iraq War Resolution For Immediate Release - Contact: Jen Nader, (202) 543-6176 October 10, 2002 (Washington, DC) - This morning the U.S. House of Representatives rebuffed the White House's attempt to secure a strong Congressional mandate to launch a pre-emptive attack on Iraq. Instead, Representatives were divided in whether or not to support the President. Despite tremendous pressure from the White House, 133 lawmakers voted against the Bush-Gephardt war resolution (H.J.Res.114). Among the 296 "yea" votes, numerous Representatives expressed deep misgivings with regards to voting in favor of the Bush-Gephardt war resolution. "The absence of unreserved support for the President's war resolution conveys opposition to the President's pre-emption doctrine," declared Gulf War veteran and EPIC Executive Director Erik Gustafson. "We are encouraged to see many Members of Congress courageously take a step further by altogether rejecting the President's request of war authority." On both sides of the aisle, congressional offices report getting flooded with letters, faxes, calls and emails from constituents who oppose a war in Iraq. Feeling this pressure and expressing fears about the risks involved with a U.S. war in Iraq, some Republicans broke ranks with their party by refusing to grant the President's request for war authority. "As a mother of nine children, I cannot help but think about this issue on a personal level," said Republican Rep. Constance A. Morella of Maryland. "Can I, or can any parent, look into the eyes of an 18-year-old boy and with a clear mind and clean conscience say that we have exhausted every other option before sending him into the perils of combat?" Among strong signs of support for an alternative course of action, 155 lawmakers voted for a proposal sponsored by Rep. John Spratt (D-SC) that would authorize the use of U.S. force against Iraq contingent upon authorization by the UN Security Council. If the Council failed to sanction the use of force, the Spratt Amendment would require the President to come back for a second vote before he could act unilaterally against Iraq. A second amendment sponsored by Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) secured 72 votes from lawmakers. Rather than authorizing war, the Lee Amendment urges the President to work peacefully "through the United Nations to seek to resolve the matter of ensuring that Iraq is not developing weapons of mass destruction." A 'motion to recommit' sponsored by Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) garnered 101 votes. If the motion had passed, before Congress could authorize war, Bush would have been required to first answer critical questions concerning the long-term costs and consequences of a preemptive war on the stability of the Middle East and the U.S. economy. Taken together, heavy support for the Spratt and Lee amendments and the motion to recommit demonstrated the breadth of unease and opposition to the President's go-it-alone rush to war embodied in H.J. Res. 114. "The Americans people oppose a war in Iraq without allies and want to see UN weapons inspectors returned to Iraq." Mr. Gustafson continued, "Furthermore, the President's refusal to substantiate with evidence his claims that Iraq poses an immediate threat to the national security of the United States has weakened his case for war." "The President said he would unite the country and Congress, and instead he has divided both" Gustafson said. # # # _______________________________________________ Sent via the discussion list of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq. To unsubscribe, visit http://lists.casi.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/casi-discuss To contact the list manager, email casi-discuss-admin@lists.casi.org.uk All postings are archived on CASI's website: http://www.casi.org.uk