Rense.com



Daschle Caves In To
Bush's War Intentions

By Vicki Allen
9-17-2


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle said on Tuesday he expected Congress would vote on a resolution on Iraq "well before" Nov. 5 elections as political momentum built to back President Bush's effort to disarm or oust Iraqi President Saddam Hussein .
 
Daschle and other lawmakers said Congress would start to move promptly on a resolution expected to authorize at least some use of force against Iraq if it failed to admit weapons inspectors and meet U.N. requirements that it disarm.
 
"I think there will be a vote well before the election. I think that it's important to work together to achieve that," said Daschle, a South Dakota Democrat. "The real question is what will the resolution say."
 
A number of Democrats had pushed to put off the vote on a resolution that could lead to war against Iraq until after the November election, which will decide which party will control the House of Representatives and the Senate.
 
But Daschle said Bush is fulfilling Democrats' calls that he seek U.N. backing, work with Congress and make his case for why Saddam poses a threat with weapons of mass destruction, and so Congress should cooperate with him.
 
"They are doing the things we have proposed -- I think it's time for us to reciprocate," he said. "I still believe that the evidence is inconclusive, but there is no question about the degree to which Iraq continues to pose a threat to the international community." House Democratic Leader Richard Gephardt of Missouri Democrat also issued a statement backing Bush.
 
"I share our president's resolve that the United States, our allies and the international community must set the terms for Iraqi compliance with all therelevant U.N. resolutions," Gephardt said. "If we cannot achieve compliance, then we must seek enforcement."
 
BREAKFAST AT WHITE HOUSE
 
Daschle and Gephardt were to join Senate Republican Leader Trent Lott of Mississippi and Republican House Speaker Dennis Hastert of Illinoisat a breakfast meeting with Bush on Wednesday to start discussing the resolution, Daschle said.
 
Vice President Dick Cheney met on Tuesday with key Senate Republican leaders and top Republicans on key committees tostart plans for a resolution.
 
The exact wording of the resolution was still undecided but it appeared clear Saddam's claim he would allow weapons inspectors to return to Iraq left members of Congress unconvinced of his sincerity.
 
While a number of Republicans as of last week said Bush had not yet justified launching a possible war against Iraq, this week they appeared tobe falling behind him.
 
"I think that there is a very large majority of Republicans and I think significant number of Democrats that believe we ought to have a vote before wego out of session sometime in the beginning or middle of October," said Sen. John McCain, an Arizona Republican who has been one of themost outspoken backers of ousting Saddam.
 
"I think many of us would be hard pressed not to follow this president at this moment," said Sen. Larry Craig, an Idaho Republican who through lastweek was saying Bush still had not made a convincing case for military action.
 
Craig and other lawmakers said Iraq's offer on Monday to accept U.N. weapons inspectors without conditions would not influence Congress.
 
"It's called the Hussein Shuffle," Craig said, adding that he expected Saddam to backtrack on that statement.
 
"We don't think the Iraq announcement should defuse at all the United Nations' focus and effort. This really doesn't change things," Daschle said. While Daschle said Congress may be close to voting on a Iraq resolution, there was disagreement on what the resolution should say.
 
McCain said the resolution should authorize the president "to take actions to bring about a regime change and the elimination of the weapons ofmass destruction." But other lawmakers said they would support a resolution linked to U.N. inspections and disarmament requirements, short of military action to oustSaddam.
 
Others said it should urge the United Nations to enforce its own disarmament requirements for Iraq but not authorize use of military force at this time,and a number of lawmakers said it should call for an international response instead of the United States acting alone.





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