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| Iraq
Relations Iraq continues to fail to live up to the agreements it made as part of the Gulf War cease-fire agreement, including allowing United Nations inspectors to determine whether Iraq has weapons of mass destruction. While I do not believe a Gulf War-type conflict is imminent, Saddam Hussein needs to be monitored closely. Congress' role in shaping America's military involvement should be preserved as the Bush Administration seeks an effective solution. The Constitution clearly gives to Congress the power to declare war, and the United States should not go to war with Iraq without congressional authorization. I am open to modifications to the current sanctions policy toward Iraq, such as the "smart sanctions" first proposed by Secretary of State Colin Powell in February 2001, as long as they still prevent Saddam Hussein from acquiring the resources necessary to develop weapons of mass destruction. The United Nations has put the blame for the suffering of the Iraqi people squarely on Saddam Hussein for failing to purchase enough food and medicine through the "oil for food" program to alleviate this suffering. Unfortunately, the United States has not yet been able to convince key allies to support the "smart sanctions" proposal. As long as Saddam Hussein continues his refusal to comply with Gulf War cease fire agreements that require UN monitoring of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction programs, the current impasse will remain. |
SENATOR DICK DURBIN'S LEGISLATIVE
AGENDA |