Daschle backs Bush on Iraq resolution/
House set for vote Thursday

excerpts:
WASHINGTON (AP) --In a show of gathering support for President Bush's Iraq war resolution, the Senate voted 75-25 on Thursday to end delaying tactics and open the way for final expected approval of the measure.

...The strong bipartisan vote came after Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle announced his support for the president.

...The Senate vote was procedural, but both sides viewed it as a key test vote. It choked off delaying tactics by a handful of Democratic opponents and made it all but certain that the Senate would pass the measure.

...Daschle said the measure still has shortcomings, but he called it an improvement over the administration's initial request for broad authority. The bipartisan agreement gives the president most of the powers he asked for, allowing him to act without going through the United Nations.

...But in a concession to Democratic concerns, it encourages him to exhaust all diplomatic means first and requires he report to Congress every 60 days if he does take action.

...Earlier, both houses brushed aside efforts to weaken the war resolution. The House was expected to pass the measure later Thursday. A Senate vote was expected by late Thursday or Friday.

...By a 66-31 vote, the Senate rejected an amendment by Sen. Robert Byrd, D-West Virginia -- the most outspoken Senate opponent of the war resolution that would have ended the authorization for him to use force against Iraq after two years.

...Minutes later, the House also turned back, by 355-72, an alternative offered by Rep. Barbara Lee, D-California, that would have committed the United States to the U.N. inspections process but not authorized unilateral force. "I plead with you to avoid this rush to war," Lee said.

...Bipartisan support for Bush's request for war authority was growing steadily, and chances seemed good he'd have the measure on his desk by week's end to put the nation on combat-ready footing.


http://www.cnn.com/2002/A...index.html

>>RESOLUTION KEY POINTS
• "The president is authorized to use the armed forces of the United States as he determines to be necessary and appropriate in order to (1) defend the national security of the United States against the continuing threat posed by Iraq, and (2) enforce all relevant United Nation Security Council resolutions regarding Iraq."

• The resolution requires the president to notify Congress within 48 hours of any military action against Iraq and submit, at least every 60 days, a report to Congress on the military campaign.

• The resolution does not tie any U.S. action to a U.N. resolution.<<

This is a much bigger issue than being a Democrat, Republican, or Independent--this is about giving the President, any president, a blank check as to do with the US Armed Forces whatever and whenever he/she wants to start a war, as they see fit to protect "national security".

Call or email everyone you know to call/email your Congressman or Senator. This new resolution will give the President unprecented power to declare war without Congress' approval, any UN involvement or resolution, AND begin a war with Iraq-or any country for that matter- without any provocation or attack by Iraq on the US or its allies.
http://www.nalc.org/depar...hones.html

You can also look up your representative's site and email from any search engine.

war

I think there will also be a UN Security Council resolution soon that will give the USA plenty of room to do what Bush says he wants to do: disarm Iraq, but no all-out war.
Congress (the 'representatives of the American people) tho' will give Bush enough power to go without the UN's approval. Guess what junior will do with that...

http://www.usatoday.com/n...iraq_x.htm

House passes new resolution. One down, one to go.

Abrazo said:

one has to wonder how the voting would have turned out if this wasnt a month before election day? hmmm...

SkletonKee said:

hmmm'in along with kee...

PlastikLuvAffair said:

Sad that voting for or against war even comes down to election day politics. I've lost whatever respect i had for our elected officials.

Just an update:

The US Senate voted this morning to approve the new war resolution authorizing Pres Bush to use the US Armed Forces as he sees fit. This resolution usurps the US Constitution by granting the President, not Congress, the power to declare war.

Here's how our US Senators voted:

Senate roll call on Iraq resolution
---

The 77-23 roll call by which the Senate voted Friday to authorize President Bush to use military force, if necessary, to disarm Iraq.

On this vote, a "yes" vote was a vote to pass the resolution and a "no" vote was a vote to defeat it.

Voting "yes" were 29 Democrats and 48 Republicans.

Voting "no" were 21 Democrats, one Republican and one independent.

Alabama
Sessions (R) Yes; Shelby (R) Yes.

Alaska
Murkowski (R) Yes; Stevens (R) Yes.

Arizona
Kyl (R) Yes; McCain (R) Yes.

Arkansas
Hutchinson (R) Yes; Lincoln (D) Yes.

California
Boxer (D) No; Feinstein (D) Yes.

Colorado
Allard (R) Yes; Campbell (R) Yes.

Connecticut
Dodd (D) Yes; Lieberman (D) Yes.

Delaware
Biden (D) Yes; Carper (D) Yes.

Florida
Graham (D) No; Nelson (D) Yes.

Georgia
Cleland (D) Yes; Miller (D) Yes.

Hawaii
Akaka (D) No; Inouye (D) No.

Idaho
Craig (R) Yes; Crapo (R) Yes.

Illinois
Durbin (D) No; Fitzgerald (R) Yes.

Indiana
Bayh (D) Yes; Lugar (R) Yes.

Iowa
Grassley (R) Yes; Harkin (D) Yes.

Kansas
Brownback (R) Yes; Roberts (R) Yes.

Kentucky
Bunning (R) Yes; McConnell (R) Yes.

Louisiana
Breaux (D) Yes; Landrieu (D) Yes.

Maine
Collins (R) Yes; Snowe (R) Yes.

Maryland
Mikulski (D) No; Sarbanes (D) No.

Massachusetts
Kennedy (D) No; Kerry (D) Yes.

Michigan
Levin (D) No; Stabenow (D) No.

Minnesota
Dayton (D) No; Wellstone (D) No.

Mississippi
Cochran (R) Yes; Lott (R) Yes.

Missouri
Bond (R) Yes; Carnahan (D) Yes.

Montana
Baucus (D) Yes; Burns (R) Yes.

Nebraska
Hagel (R) Yes; Nelson (D) Yes.

Nevada
Ensign (R) Yes; Reid (D) Yes.

New Hampshire
Gregg (R) Yes; Smith (R) Yes.

New Jersey
Corzine (D) No; Torricelli (D) Yes.

New Mexico
Bingaman (D) No; Domenici (R) Yes.

New York
Clinton (D) Yes; Schumer (D) Yes.

North Carolina
Edwards (D) Yes; Helms (R) Yes.

North Dakota
Conrad (D) No; Dorgan (D) Yes.

Ohio
DeWine (R) Yes; Voinovich (R) Yes.

Oklahoma
Inhofe (R) Yes; Nickles (R) Yes.

Oregon
Smith (R) Yes; Wyden (D) No.

Pennsylvania
Santorum (R) Yes; Specter (R) Yes.

Rhode Island
Chafee (R) No; Reed (D) No.

South Carolina
Hollings (D) Yes; Thurmond (R) Yes.

South Dakota
Daschle (D) Yes; Johnson (D) Yes.

Tennessee
Frist (R) Yes; Thompson (R) Yes.

Texas
Gramm (R) Yes; Hutchison (R) Yes.

Utah
Bennett (R) Yes; Hatch (R) Yes.

Vermont
Jeffords (I) No; Leahy (D) No.

Virginia
Allen (R) Yes; Warner (R) Yes.

Washington
Cantwell (D) Yes; Murray (D) No.

West Virginia
Byrd (D) No; Rockefeller (D) Yes.

Wisconsin
Feingold (D) No; Kohl (D) Yes.

Wyoming
Enzi (R) Yes; Thomas (R) Yes.

The Democrats and moderate Republicans who voted for this measure - pandering to votes not their conscience - have completely lost any respect i had for them previously.
Esp: Leiberman, Clinton, Schumer, McCain, Daschle, Biden, Feinstein, Hagel, and Kerry.

peace?