Conn. Congressmen Bring Iraq Resolution, Evidence to Forefront
By Marty Toohey
WASHINGTON, Oct. 02, 2002–Talk of war escalated in Connecticut’s congressional delegation on Wednesday, with Democratic Sen. Joseph Lieberman introducing a resolution on action against Iraq and Republican Rep. Chris Shays outlining evidence against the Middle Eastern country.
Lieberman’s resolution is identical to one President Bush and House leadership agreed to earlier in the day. The senator predicted it would pass his chamber after about a week of formal debate, which will probably begin today (Thursday).
The resolution is close to what the White House sought. It grants Bush broad military power against Iraq but requires the president to exhaust all options before taking action, to notify Congress within 48 hours of a U.S. attack and to report to Congress on all matters related to Iraq every 60 days.
The resolution, co-sponsored by Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.), John Warner (R-Va.) and Joseph Biden (D-Del.), also reaffirms the administration’s policy of regime change in Iraq.
Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) lent cautious support to the bill, saying it would adequately limit the use of force and the need for international support.
In a Wednesday afternoon press conference, Shays (R-4), who chairs the House Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security, Veterans Affairs and International Relations, outlined evidence against Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and advocated military action against Iraq if it doesn’t grant U.N. weapons inspectors unlimited access.
Shays said those contacting his office have been about 40-1 against pre-emptive action, but 34 committee hearings have persuaded him that Iraq presents an immediate threat. He said there’s a “definite” connection between Hussein and terrorists, and the 70 families in his district who lost relatives in the Sept. 11 attacks heavily influence his views.
“It’s difficult for Americans to think of pre-emption, but that’s the necessary strategy,” Shays said. “You don’t just sit back and wait for the mushroom cloud.”
Lieberman, an outspoken proponent since 1991 of ousting Saddam Hussein, said the United States should build an international coalition before taking action against Iraq, but he also was blunt about how the United States should proceed.
“If we show our willingness to lead, we will not go it alone,” he said.
Shays criticized the White House for not declassifying more information, but laid out a thorough description of Iraq’s weapons capabilities, saying that it already possesses biological and chemical weapons and could develop nuclear ones within six months of obtaining enriched uranium and plutonium.
All Hussein would need is a softball-size quantity of the radioactive substances to create an atomic bomb, and it would be possible for Hussein to smuggle a few bombs into U.S. cities and “blackmail” the country, Shays said.
He also said there are the equivalent of about 250 “softballs” around the world in hundreds of locations.
“There are antidotes … to chemical and biological weapons,” Shays said. “There is no antidote to a nuclear explosion.”
Lieberman, who has criticized Republicans for politicizing the homeland security debate before the election, said he thinks legislation establishing the department will pass the Senate soon after debate on the Iraq resolution concludes.
He also said the U.S. military could successfully conduct anti-terrorism actions while engaging Iraq.
“These are two serious threats, and they are interconnected,” Lieberman said.
Published in The New Britain Herald, in Connecticut.
