Sununu Attends ‘Historical’ Signing
By Riley Yates
WASHINGTON, Oct. 16, 2002–As Rep. John Sununu watched President Bush sign the resolution authorizing U.S. use of force against Iraq, he reflected on what a historical moment it was, he said later.
Very rarely, Sununu said in an interview after the White House ceremony, is Congress asked to debate whether to allow the country to go to war. He said he was glad Congress had made the decision to support the president’s efforts to disarm Iraq.
Sununu, who was sitting offstage, just to the right of the president, was one of about 100 legislators attending the ceremony.
“This will send an unmistakable message to our allies and Iraq,” Sununu said, reiterating comments Bush made before he signed the resolution. “I think it is a step forward in an effort to secure world peace.”
Congressional support of Bush is important, Sununu said, because it makes the United Nations realize how committed the United States is to eliminating Iraq’s biological and chemical weapons capabilities and denying it any nuclear capacity.
The United Nations General Assembly Wednesday held its first meeting on Iraq since the resolution passed the House, 296-133, and the Senate, 77-23, last week. All four members of the all-Republican New Hampshire delegation voted for it.
Bush must be credited with the resolution’s smooth passage, Sununu said. “I think the president made a strong case.”
Gov. Jeanne Shaheen, Sununu’s Democratic opponent in their closely contested Senate race, has also been a vocal supporter of Bush’s efforts to contain Iraq.
“[The resolution] was very important,” Colin Van Ostern, her spokesman, said Wednesday. “All options must be on the table.”
“The next step,” Van Ostern added, “is for the president to proceed on the path he’s begun.”
Published in The Manchester Union Leader, in New Hampshire.
