Category: Fall 2002 Newswire
Collins Backs Iraq Plan
WASHINGTON, Oct. 10–Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, on Thursday endorsed President Bush’s plan to use force against Iraq, saying that authorizing military action would be the best way to avoid war.
The Senate later overwhelmingly voted to approve the resolution, which had been approved by the House earlier that day, meaning that President Bush could have authorization to use force against Iraq early next week.
“By early next week it could be on the president’s desk,” said Dave Lackey, spokesman for Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine. “I think that Congress is on an express train out of here. They’re ready to go home, and this is the last major hurdle.”
The House voted in favor of the resolution 296 to 133, while the Senate passed it, 77-23.
Collins had not committed to a position until Thursday, when she said that the president needs the strength of Congress behind him. “Only if Saddam understands that we are prepared to use military force will a peaceful means for disarming him have a chance to succeed,” Collins said in a prepared statement. “In my view there are times in dealing with a tyrant when the best – indeed, perhaps the only – chance to avoid war is to express in unmistakable terms your willingness to wage it.”
The resolution gives the president authority “to use the armed forces of the United States as he determines to be necessary and appropriate in order to…enforce all relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions regarding Iraq.”
The entire New Hampshire delegation voted in favor of the Bush plan, as did Maine senators Collins and Snowe. Rep. Tom Allen, D-Maine, however, voted against the resolution. Allen favored an alternative version that would have required, not merely encouraged, the president to work with the United Nations.
Some lawmakers had criticized Bush’s plan for being too broad, equating it to a blank check for the president to do as he pleases. But Collins said she supports the resolution in part because it encourages Bush to seek multilateral support before acting alone. The measure also gives Congress some oversight authority.
The president is required to report to Congress within 48 hours of launching any military action and to explain why diplomatic means were no longer sufficient to avoid war. He would also have to report to Congress every 60 days while military action continues.
Collins stressed her belief that the passage of the resolution did not necessitate military action. In fact, she said, it could help avert war. “The president correctly noted in his recent speech that the passage of this resolution does not mean that war is imminent and unavoidable,” she said.
Following House passage of the bill, the president said he was pleased with Congress’s progress. “Today’s vote also sends a clear message to the Iraqi regime: it must disarm and comply with all existing U.N. resolutions, or it will be forced to comply,” he said. “There are no other options for the Iraqi regime…. The days of Iraq acting as an outlaw state are coming to an end.”
Collins said the world must ensure that Iraq is disarmed. “The risks are simply too catastrophic for the world to allow Iraq to continue on its present course,” she said. “I believe our policy should be focused on disarming Iraq rather than regime change, much as I would like Saddam Hussein to be deposed.”
Snowe’s spokesman Lackey said that Congress was likely to be in session for the first few days of next week and then adjourn until after the November election. He said the Senate would probably pass a defense appropriations bill and a long-term continuing resolution to fund the government until after the election.
Published in Foster’s Daily Democrat, in New Hampshire.
House Passes Iraq Resolution, Frank Votes Against
By Joe Crea
WASHINGTON, Oct. 10, 2002--Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) warned on Thursday that if the United States engages in a unilateral war with Iraq, Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein is likely to use his vast arsenal of weapons of mass destruction.
Frank spoke in a phone interview after the House voted to pass a White House-backed resolution authorizing the use of force in Iraq.
The resolution, which passed, 296-133, was strongly supported by Republicans and won some Democratic approval, including that of Minority Leader Rep. Dick Gephardt (D-Mo).
Frank, who voted against the measure, favored the "two-step amendment," better known as the Spratt Amendment after its sponsor, Rep. John Spratt (D-S.C.). The amendment, which was defeated Thursday, would have forced President Bush to return to Congress should he fail to gain support from the United Nations for an international coalition.
"The intelligence people say Hussein will probably use his chemical weapons" in a war with the United States, Frank said in the interview. "He didn't use them previously, because he was deterred by the fear of what we would do to him. Now he has nothing to lose."
In the Senate, Bush gained a new ally, Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.), who announced his support for the measure.
"Because this resolution is improved, because I believe that Saddam Hussein represents a real threat and because I believe it is important for America to speak with one voice at this critical moment, will vote to give the president the authority he needs," Daschle said in prepared remarks.
Originally skeptical of the resolution, Daschle urged his colleagues to conclude the debate immediately and vote on the measure. The Senate was expected to vote late Thursday or Friday.
Frank expressed concern about the impact of such a resolution, should a war eventually be waged.
"Take the tax cut, the war in Afghanistan, homeland security, compensating Sept. 11 survivors, the airline bailout and add to that Iraq and reconstruction, I think Bush needs to revisit the tax cut," Frank said.
Published in The New Bedford Standard Times, in Massachusetts.
House Passes Iraq Resolution
By Crystal Bozek and Michelle Kohanloo
WASHINGTON, Oct. 10, 2002--The House gave the green light to President Bush Thursday, granting him the authority to launch a unilateral military action against Iraq. An overwhelming number of Democrats voted against the resolution, including Maine Rep. John E. Baldacci and Rep. Thomas H. Allen, despite the fact that Minority Leader Richard A. Gephardt was one of its authors.
The resolution, passed 296-133, calls on the United Nations to enforce strict rules on inspecting and eliminating Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. It also requires Bush to inform Congress, no more than 48 hours after initiating military attack, on why diplomatic efforts were ineffective.
Allen, a member of the Armed Services Committee, disagreed with the resolution because, he said, it gives Bush a "blank check" for a unilateral attack on Iraq without his having to consult Congress any further.
"The classified briefings I have received do not lead me to conclude that the threat is imminent," Allen said on Tuesday. "We have time to work with our allies to enforce U.N. resolutions."
Allen, along with Baldacci, voted for a Democratic alternative proposal sponsored by South Carolina Rep. John Spratt, which the House rejected, 155-270, on Thursday. The proposal would have approved the use of U.S. forces in conjunction with U.N. approval of action against Iraq but would have forced the president to come back for a second vote if he wanted to act unilaterally.
"To support the President and to build a powerful allied force against Iraq, I voted for the Spratt resolution," Baldacci said in a written statement. "Its strong approach offered the most effective way to accomplish these goals."
Baldacci, a staunch supporter of a multilateral coalition, said he believed that "it offers the best chance to effectively disarm Saddam Hussein."
The Senate was expected to approve the White House-backed resolution Thursday night or Friday.
Republican Sen. Susan M. Collins said she decided to vote in favor of the Bush resolution after extensive discussions with Secretary of State Colin Powell.
"He has convinced me that the prospects for effective action by the United Nations to disarm Iraq depend on the credible threat of the use of force, and that is the reason I will cast my vote in favor of this resolution," Collins said in a prepared statement Thursday.
Collins urged Bush to continue exploring all means of non-military action to disarm Iraq, but she said she was not averse to the president's ordering military strikes as a last resort.
"As difficult as the decision to authorize military action is, one need only consider how much more difficult it will be when Saddam has a nuclear bomb," Collins said.
Republican Sen. Olympia J. Snowe announced her support for the White House-backed resolution early Wednesday.
"By granting military authority to the president in advance, it leaves no question or uncertainty as to the level of our commitment - thereby strengthening the president's ability to secure U.N. implementation of a new and enforceable resolution," Snowe said.
Bush applauded the House's approval of the resolution late Thursday afternoon.
"Today's vote sends a clear message to the Iraqi regime: It must disarm and comply with all existing U.N. resolutions, or it will be forced to comply," Bush said.
Published in The Kennebec Journal and The Morning Sentinel, in Maine.
Treasury Department Announces Maine Member of Taxpayer Advocacy Panel
WASHINGTON, Oct. 10, 2002--The Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service has named a Corinth woman to a newly created nationwide Taxpayer Advocacy Panel (TAP). Catherine Kelly, the only Maine appointee, will join 101 other volunteers on the new panel created to represent the concerns and issues of taxpayers to the federal government.
Kelly, 65, a former U.S. postal service worker in the town of Kenduskeag and state coordinator for the American Association of Retired Persons Tax-Aide says her experience and her ability to handle taxpayer problems won her appointment. Kelly also worked for the former Northeast Banking and Trust Company and H&R Block, while also juggling a full house of six children and now seven grandchildren.
"I hope I can make a difference," says Kelly who will be asked to devote over 300 hours of volunteer time per year to the job. For now she plans to serve at least two years.
Kelly hopes to raise a number of issues with the panel including the general public's inability to understand certain IRS forms, notices, publications and tax laws. The earned income tax credit is another matter Kelly wants the panel to discuss. Kelly's goal in serving on the panel is to raise issues important to taxpayers and make them more comfortable about bringing their questions and problems to the IRS.
"Hopefully I can make people see that the IRS is there to help people, not hurt them," says Kelly. "I encourage anyone to contact me. I do not work for the IRS; I'm here and I can help you."
Kelly and the other new TAP members spent the early part of this week in Washington D.C., for meetings and orientation. Treasury Assistant Secretary for Tax Policy, Pam Olson also met with them and applauded their commitment.
"The President has spoken of the value of volunteerism in America and he has urged Americans to volunteer to help their neighbors, their communities, and their government. Never has this been more important," Olson said to the group on Tuesday. "You have all volunteered to serve and your work is essential to ensuring a more taxpayer-friendly IRS."
Published in The Bangor Daily News, in Maine.
Maine Representative Vote ‘No’
WASHINGTON, Oct. 10, 2002--Democratic Reps. Tom Allen and John Baldacci both voted no on the resolution the House passed Thursday to grant President Bush the power to attack Iraq unilaterally. The Senate was expected to vote on the resolution Thursday night or Friday.
The Maine representatives were in the minority as 296 of the 435 members voted to authorize the president to use military force if he determines it necessary to protect the United States against the threat posed by Iraq. The resolution allows Bush to enforce U.N. Security Council resolutions on Iraq and requires him to notify Congress before using force.
In speeches earlier this week on the House floor, Allen and Baldacci expressed their support for an alternative resolution, which would, according to Allen, have authorized "the use of force through the United Nations" but would "provide no blank check for unilateral military action."
Published in The Bangor Daily News, in Maine.
Collins Supports Iraq Resolution
WASHINGTON, Oct. 10, 2002--As the Senate prepared to vote on its resolution to authorize U.S. military action against Iraq, Republican Sen. Susan Collins announced Thursday that she would support the measure. Collins, who had been publicly undecided, said she was persuaded ultimately by an extensive recent conversation with Secretary of State Colin Powell, who said that a credible threat of the use of force was necessary to effectively disarm Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.
"In my view, there are times in dealing with a tyrant when the best-indeed, perhaps the only-chance to avoid war is to express in unmistakable terms your willingness to wage it. And this, Mr. President, is one of those times," Collins said in remarks prepared for delivery on the Senate floor later Thursday.
In her statement, Collins addressed the catastrophic risks that she believes lie before the United States if action isn't taken against Iraq. Stating that the threat is "clear and chilling," she added, "The price we may have to pay today to eliminate it will prove modest compared with the price we will have to pay tomorrow."
"While none of us can predict for certain whether or when Saddam would strike, there are far too many warning signs in his past behavior and present undertakings," Collins said in her text. "His cold-blooded willingness to use chemical weapons against his own people as well as his enemies, his aggressive invasion of two nations, his blatant defiance of international sanctions, his continued efforts to procure materials to build a nuclear bomb, and his determined progress in developing a better means of delivering chemical and biological weapons-all strongly suggest an intention and an ability to use these weapons."
Collins, along with others in the Maine delegation, said she hopes military force will be the last resort in disarming Iraq. In her text, she said she wants disarmament, rather than regime change, to be the focus of U.S. policy toward Iraq. The Senate was expected to vote Thursday night or Friday on the resolution. Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe expressed her support for the resolution Wednesday.
Published in The Bangor Daily News, in Maine.
Sununu Urges Passage of Iraq Resolution
By Riley Yates
WASHINGTON, Oct. 09, 2002--Rep. John Sununu, in a Wednesday floor address, reiterated his support of President Bush's handling of the Iraq situation, urging colleagues to vote for the Iraq resolution authorizing the use of force against that country.
Sununu said the United States has been driven toward war by the belligerency of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.
"We are a peaceful nation," Sununu said, that has been "exceedingly patient" with Saddam Hussein. "But to date we have failed."
He said the restrictions the Iraqi regime has put on weapons inspectors prevents the United States from effectively discovering Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.
The threat of war may change the Iraqi leader's stance, however, Sununu said.
"Only when military action is imminent does the Iraqi regime even discuss allowing inspectors to return," he noted.
Sununu said he, like many, hopes to avoid war if possible.
"Neither I, not any member of this body, would like to see renewed conflict in Iraq," Sununu said.
But America cannot afford to fall prey to Iraq's delaying tactics, Sununu added, because Iraq soon may have greatly enhanced its weapons programs.
"If we wait until Iraq succeeds in achieving [weapons of mass destruction]," Sununu said, "we will have waited too long."
He said in the interest of protecting American lives and addressing the threat to global peace, the United States should be willing to fight Iraq even if the United Nations refuses to support it.
The actions of the Iraqi regime more than justify America's acting alone, Sununu said, reciting the now-familiar litany of abuses of which Bush has accused Saddam Hussein, including the violation of U.N. resolutions signed at the end of the Persian Gulf War and his treatment of ethnic minorities within his own country.
In a floor speech Tuesday, Sen. Judd Gregg also highlighted the harshness of the Iraqi regime, as have most members of both chambers during this week's debate on the Iraq resolution.
The other members of the all-Republican New Hampshire delegation, Sen. Bob Smith Rep. Charlie Bass, were also planning to speak this week. Jim Martin, Bass's spokesman, said Bass may have to submit testimony for the record, however, due to the high number of House members still wishing to appear on the floor.
Published in The Manchester Union Leader, in New Hampshire.
Meehan Sues Federal Agency: Campaign Finance Champion Says Election Commission Ruined His Law
By Randy Trick
WASHINGTON, Oct. 09, 2002--The fight for campaign finance reform took a major twist as Rep. Martin T. Meehan, D-Lowell, filed suit against the Federal Election Commission (FEC) Tuesday, saying the agency has made a sham of his finance reform law, which Congress approved this year.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, contends that the FEC thwarted the intention of the Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act, which Meehan wrote with Rep. Christopher Shays (R-CT) and Sens. John McCain (R-AZ), and Russell Feingold (D-WI).
After the bill passed in March, the FEC was charged with writing the rules to govern soft-money contributions. However, Meehan alleges that the agency purposefully voted to keep loopholes open that his legislation was meant to close. The law takes effect on Nov. 6, the day after the midterm elections.
The agency wanted to keep the status quo, Meehan said. After all, "the FEC helped create soft money," he added.
Meehan pointed to what he called one major misstep by the FEC, when, in writing its rules, it changed the definition of "solicit" from "request, suggest or recommend" to "ask," thus allowing what the lawsuit called "wink and nod" requests for campaign contributions.
Changes such as that are contrary to the language, intent and purpose of the campaign finance reform legislation, Meehan and his fellow plaintiffs say.
The FEC's regulations are "arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion or otherwise not in accordance with law," the lawsuit reads.
Meehan, Shays and the two senators have teamed with longtime campaign finance reform advocate Fred Wertheimer, president of Democracy21. Wertheimer said the FEC effectively rewrote the law because four of its six commissioners serve the two major political parties.
"They are put there to represent the views of political parties opposed to the laws," said Wertheimer. "They function as agents of the parties."
"It is the system that is harmed, the public interest that is harmed," Meehan said.
Three of the commissioners were appointed by President Clinton, two by President Reagan and one by the current President Bush.
The FEC has two months to prepare and file a reply with the court, and a hearing date will be set after that. A formal hearing is not likely until next year, Meehan predicted.
Meehan says he feels confident about his suit's chances, calling it just another stage in the fight.
Published in The Lawrence Eagle Tribune, in Massachusetts.
Kerry, Meehan Take Iraq Stance
By Randy Trick and Marni Zelnick
WASHINGTON, Oct. 16, 2002--Two members of the Massachusetts delegation came off the fence Wednesday, announcing where they stand on authorizing the use of force against Iraq.
Sen. John Kerry said he will vote "yes" on a resolution authorizing President Bush to use force against Iraq, while Rep. Martin T. Meehan, D-Lowell, favors pursuing a multilateral approach through the United Nations.
Kerry's statement came after weeks of cautious enthusiasm for the administration's efforts to embrace the international community.
"In giving the president this authority, I expect him to fulfill the commitments he has made to the American people in recent days," Kerry said on the Senate floor, "to work with the United Nations Security Council to adopt a new resolution setting out 'tough, immediate' inspections requirements and to 'act with our allies at our side' if we have to disarm Saddam Hussein by force."
Kerry reiterated his opposition to the United States' engaging Iraq over issues other than disarmament. He stated unequivocally that he did not consider reasons put forth by the administration such as the return of Gulf War prisoners, the desire for regime change or Saddam Hussein's treatment of the Iraqi people to be justifiable grounds for war.
"Let me be clear," Kerry said, "I am voting to give this authority to the president for one reason and one reason alone: to disarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruction if we cannot accomplish that objective through new tough weapons inspections."
Meehan said he plans to vote for a proposal authorizing force against Iraq only if a resolution from the United Nations Security Council is obtained and weapons inspections fail.
That proposal is in the form of an amendment that Rep. John Spratt, a Democrat from South Carolina, has offered.
"The amendment allows all members of Congress to register their support for a multilateral approach. That's the way to go," Meehan said in an interview.
According to Meehan, if the Security Council does not approve force, or if weapons inspections fail, the landscape of the conflict will change and will need to be reexamined.
The amendment Meehan plans to vote for will have Congress vote later on a new resolution authorizing unilateral force, should it be needed. It would also allow the new resolution to be dealt with rapidly.
Meehan hesitated to say, however, how he would vote on the Bush-endorsed resolution if the Spratt amendment fails.
From the neighboring district, Rep. John Tierney, D-Salem, took an unequivocal stance against authorizing another Iraqi war.
"The administration says that Hussein is bad, and no one disagrees," Tierney said on the House floor Wednesday. "Nor do we disagree with the notion that the U.N. resolutions must be enforced by U.N. Security Council action. The administration, though, asserts that the U.S. must act peremptorily and right now because Iraq is an imminent threat. But the truth be told, it has not met the burden of truth to that claim."
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy was also on the Senate floor Wednesday, reaffirming his resolve to vote against a resolution. In a statement released earlier this week, Kennedy characterized any action by Congress as premature, arguing that the potential costs of a war with Iraq have yet to be adequately outlined for the American people.
"The American people deserve to know what a conflict in Iraq might be like," Kennedy said. "They deserve to know how many casualties there might be. They deserve to know the true preparedness of our troops to fight in a chemical or biological environment…. They deserve to know how a conflict with Iraq will affect them and whether they are likely to be called up for duty."
Both Massachusetts senators called on the administration to provide a more detailed plan for the reconstruction of post-conflict Iraq. Kerry criticized the administration for giving "more lip service than resources" to the rebuilding of Afghanistan.
Published in The Lawrence Eagle Tribune, in Massachusetts.
Conn. Gets Grant to Prevent Fraud Against Elderly
By Marty Toohey
WASHINGTON, Oct. 09, 2002--Connecticut Legal Services will be beefing up a little-known consumer protection and fraud hotline for seniors, thanks to a $375,000 grant from the federal Administration on Aging.
The hotline, currently staffed by one employee in CLS's Willimantic office, provides seniors quick access to legal advice and representation. The grant will be spread over three years, and CLS hopes to offer an expanded-service hotline by next April.
In addition to fraud response, the hotline will provide advice for dealing with debt, home ownership and other issues of concern to seniors, said Marvin Farbman, CLS's executive director.
"This is huge for us," Farbman said. "This will help us provide good legal information and advice and, when necessary, high-quality legal representation."
Such advice and representation was useful to an elderly fraud victim identified as JS in the grant application.
JS is an elderly woman prone to confusion, the application said. Last year, two door-to-door salesmen sold her what she thought was an $800 vacuum cleaner, even though she already owned a functional one, which they persuaded her to trade in as part of the deal.
It turned out the contract she signed for the vacuum required her to pay considerably more than $800.
JS contacted her local Agency on Aging, which provides advocates for the elderly. The advocate contacted CLS, which in turn contacted the vacuum company, got the contract rescinded and persuaded the company to pay the woman fair-market value for her old vacuum.
The hotline would provide such services on a regular basis.
"Senior citizens frequently face issues like these, particularly fraud from people preying on the elderly," said Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, who has frequently listed fraud against the elderly as one of his prime concerns. "It's essential to provide means for senior citizens to protect themselves and protect their financial independence."
The grant will fund a collaborative effort between CLS, the Attorney General's office, the state Department of Consumer Protection, the Area Agency on Aging and the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut, which will aid in tracking down difficult-to-reach seniors. In addition to funding the hotline itself, the money will pay for CLS staff and Area Agency on Aging advocate staff training.
The hotline is intended for consumer protection, but if other underlying issues arise while CLS is interviewing a senior citizen, the legal services agency will provide counsel for those problems, as well.
"We'll treat these problems holistically," Farbman said.
It's the inclusive and "comprehensive nature of the program" that won the grant, said Edwin Walker, a spokesman for the Administration on Aging, a branch of the Health and Human Services Department..
"We ask for an emphasis on innovation, and we saw that in CSL's request," Walker said.
The grant is one of six given each year by Walker's agency. The grant money must be used specifically to create a hotline.
The current hotline number is 1-800 413-7796, but that number may change when the hotline is expanded, Farbman said.
Published in The New Britain Herald, in Connecticut.
