Nicholas E. Calio

Text of Bush’s draft resolution on Iraq

Thu Sep 19 19:11:18 2002
208.152.73.11

Text of Bush’s draft resolution on Iraq

Proposal sent to Congress
THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON
September 19, 2002

Dear Speaker Hastert, Leader Daschle, Leader Lott, and Leader
Gephardt,

As a follow-up to your discussion yesterday morning with the President,
we enclose a suggested form of resolution with respect to Iraq. We stand
ready to meet with you or your staffs to discuss our proposal,

As the President indicated to you, it is our hope that we can reach early
agreement on the proposal at the leadership level to allow you to proceed to
consider the resolution in your respective chambers as soon as possible.

Sincerely,


Nicholas E. Calio
Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs
Alberto R. Gonzales
Counsel to the President

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The Honorable J. Dennis Hastert
Speaker of the House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Thomas A. Daschle
Majority Leader
United States Senate
Washington. DC 20510

The Honorable Trent Lott
Minority Leader
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable Richard A. Gephardt
Minority Leader
House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515




WHITE HOUSE DISCUSSION DRAFT
9/19/02

Joint Resolution
To authorize the use of United States Armed Forces against Iraq.

Whereas Congress in 1998 concluded that Iraq was then in material and
unacceptable breach of its international obligations and thereby threatened the
vital interests of the United States and international peace and security, stated
the reasons for that conclusion, and urged the President to take appropriate
action to bring Iraq into compliance with its international obligations (Public
Law 105-235);

Whereas Iraq remains in material and unacceptable breach of its
international obligations by, among other things, continuing to possess and
develop a significant chemical and biological weapons capability, actively
seeking a nuclear weapons capability, and supporting and harboring terrorist
organizations, thereby continuing to threaten the national security interests of
the United States and international peace and security;

Whereas Iraq persists in violating resolutions of the United Nations
Security Council by continuing to engage in brutal repression of its civilian
population, including the Kurdish peoples, thereby threatening international
peace and security in the region, by refusing to release, repatriate, or account
for non-Iraqi citizens wrongfully detained by Iraq, and by failing to return
property wrongfully seized by Iraq from Kuwait;

Whereas the current Iraqi regime has demonstrated its capability and
willingness to use weapons of mass destruction against other nations and its
own people;

Whereas the current Iraqi regime has demonstrated its continuing hostility
toward, and willingness to attack, the United States, including by attempting in
1993 to assassinate former President Bush and by firing on many thousands of
occasions on United States and Coalition Armed Forces engaged in enforcing
the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council;

Whereas members of al Qaida, an organization bearing responsibility for
attacks on the United States, its citizens, and interests, including the attacks
that occurred on September 11, 2001, are known to be in Iraq;

Whereas Iraq continues to aid and harbor other international terrorist
organizations, including organizations that threaten the lives and safety of
American citizens;

Whereas the attacks on the United States of September 11, 2001
underscored the gravity of the threat that Iraq will transfer weapons of mass
destruction to international terrorist organizations;

Whereas the United States has the inherent right, as acknowledged in the
United Nations Charter, to use force in order to defend itself;
Whereas Iraq’s demonstrated capability and willingness to use weapons
of mass destruction, the high risk that the current Iraqi regime will either
employ those weapons to launch a surprise attack against the United States or
its Armed Forces or provide them to international terrorists who would do so,
and the extreme magnitude of harm that would result to the United States and
its citizens from such an attack, combine to justify the use of force by the
United States in order to defend itself;

Whereas Iraq is in material breach of its disarmament and other
obligations under United Nations Security Council Resolution 687, to cease
repression of its civilian population that threatens international peace and
security under United Nations Security Council Resolution 688, and to cease
threatening its neighbors or United Nations operations in Iraq under United
Nations Security Council Resolution 949, and United Nations Security
Council Resolution 678 authorizes use of all necessary means to compel Iraq
to comply with these “subsequent relevant resolutions,”

Whereas Congress in the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against
Iraq Resolution (Public Law 102-1) has authorized the President to use the
Armed Forces of the United States to achieve full implementation of Security
Council Resolutions 660, 661, 662, 664, 665, 666, 667, 669, 670,674, and
677, pursuant to Security Council Resolution 678;

Whereas Congress in section 1095 of Public Law 102-190 has stated
that it “supports the use of all necessary means to achieve the goals of Security
Council Resolution 687 as bring consistent with the Authorization for Use of
Military Force Against Iraq (Public Law 102-1),” that Iraq’s . repression of its
civilian population violates United Nations Security Council Resolution 688
and “constitutes a continuing threat to the peace, security, and stability of the
Persian Gulf region,” and that Congress “supports the use of all necessary
means to achieve the goals of Resolution 688”;

Whereas Congress in the Iraq Liberation Act (Public Law 105-33 8) has
expressed its sense that it should be the policy of the United States to support
efforts to remove from power the current Iraqi regime and promote the
emergence of a democratic government to replace that regime;

Whereas the President has authority under the Constitution to take action
in order to deter and prevent acts of international terrorism against the United
States, as Congress recognized in the joint resolution on Authorization for Use
of Military Force (Public Law 107-40); and

Whereas the President has authority under the Constitution to use force in
order to defend the national security interests of the United States;


Now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United
States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This joint resolution may be cited as the “Further Resolution on Iraq”.

SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION FOR USE OF UNITED STATES
ARMED FORCES.

The President is authorized to use all means that he determines to be
appropriate, including force, in order to enforce the United .Nations Security
Council Resolutions referenced above, defend the national security interests of
the United States against the threat posed by Iraq, and restore international
peace and security in the region.
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MORE INFO AND LINKS: ATTACK IRAQ
Bush Asks Congress to OK Possible Iraq Attack

• BUSH ATTACKED IRAQ FEBRUARY 17, 2001 — CNN, Thu Sep 19 20:09
• UK joins Baghdad strike - February 16, 2001 — CNN WORLD, Thu Sep 19 23:42
• CHENEY: WE ARE ALREADY BOMBING IRAQ... — nelson waller, Thu Sep 19 20:53
• Selecting Terrorist Targets — Chuck Baldwin, Thu Sep 19 19:39