The following is an archived copy of a message sent to a Discussion List run by the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq.
Views expressed in this archived message are those of the author, not of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq.
[Main archive index/search] [List information] [Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq Homepage]
I had sent Senator Kerry a long e-mail a few weeks ago (yes, weeks) and just received this. Its so back and forth, I can't make heads or tails of it. Typical politician speak. Excuse me if it comes out choppy, I had to pasted it: Mime-Version: 1.0 Date: Tue, 25 Feb 2003 12:53:47 -0500 Message-ID: <00665585.C22124@kerry.senate.gov> From: John_Kerry@kerry.senate.gov (John Kerry) Subject: Re: We ask that you allow inspectors to do their job To: anairhoads@rhoadsdev.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Description: cc:Mail note part X-Mozilla-Status: 0000 X-Mozilla-Status2: 00000000 X-UIDL: <00665585.C22124@kerry.senate.gov> Mrs. Rhoads, Thank you for contacting me to express your views regarding U.S. policy towards Iraq. I appreciate your input as our country continues to debate this important issue of national security. I believe that the regime of Saddam Hussein in Iraq poses a real threat to the security of the region and of the United States and that he must be disarmed. The Senate voted on October 11 on a resolution to hold Saddam Hussein accountable for his repeated violations of his agreement with the United Nations to disarm his arsenal of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). I voted to support the resolution because I believe that unified American support for this disarmament effort is crucial. Every party in this situation has obligations they must meet. For Iraq, the burden is to live up to its international obligations to disarm, adhering to the unanimous will of the international community. It is Saddam Hussein who, ultimately, must choose between war and peace. For the United Nations, the burden is to live up to its responsibilities and enforce its will through all available mechanisms, not finding excuses in equivocation and delay. The United States has obligations as well. We must not rush to war. Although I will support military action as a last resort, I have continually emphasized to the Bush administration that we must work first through arms inspections not war, and that if it becomes necessary to disarm Iraq by force, our efforts must be multilateral. As I have said frequently, the United States should never go to war because it wants to. The United States should go to war because we have to. And we don't have to until we have exhausted the remedies available, built legitimacy, and earned the consent of the American people - absent, of course, an imminent threat requiring urgent action. I have no doubt of the outcome of war itself should it be necessary - we will win. But what matters is not just what we win but what we lose. We need to make certain that we have not unnecessarily twisted so many arms, created so many reluctant partners, abused the trust of Congress, or strained so many relations, that the longer term and more immediate vital war on terror is made more difficult. And we should be particularly concerned that we do not go alone or essentially alone if we can avoid it, because the complications and costs of rebuilding post-war Iraq would be far better managed and shared with United Nations' participation. While American security must never be ceded to any institution or to another institution's decision, we must show respect for the process of international diplomacy - because it is not only right, it can make America stronger - and show the world some appropriate patience in building a genuine coalition. Thank you once again for taking the time to share your views with me, Anai on this extremely important topic. Sincerely, John F. Kerry U.S. Senator - - - - http://www.thePetitionSite.com/takeaction/411151486 Never befriend the oppressed unless you are prepared to take on the oppressor. -- __________________________________________________________ Sign-up for your own FREE Personalized E-mail at Mail.com http://www.mail.com/?sr=signup _______________________________________________ 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