Ron Paul and Jim Leach Vote Against Iraq War Resolution

The Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 (Public law 107-243, 116 Stat. 1497-1502) giving Congressional approval for what was to become the Iraq War was an authorization sought by President George W. Bush.
It passed the U.S. House of Representatives on 10.10.02 by a vote of 296-133, and by the U.S. Senate on 10.11.02 by a vote of 77-23.
It was signed into law by President Bush on 10.16.02.

In the U.S. House of Representatives six Republicans broke ranks and voted nay on the Iraq War Resolution of 2002 - Ron Paul of Texas, James A. Leach of Iowa, John N. Hostettler of Indiana, Constance A. Morella of Maryland, Amo Houghton of New York, and John J. Duncan of Tennessee.

The reasons given by Texas Congressman Paul and Iowa Congressman Leach are given on this unofficial blogsite supporting the nomination of Ron Paul at the Iowa straw poll slated for August 11.

Rep. Ron Paul :
"An important aspect of the philosophy and the policy we are endorsing here is the pre-emption doctrine. This should not be passed off lightly. It has been done to some degree in the past, but never been put into law that we will pre-emptively strike another nation that has not attacked us. No matter what the arguments may be, this policy is new; and it will have ramifications for our future, and it will have ramifications for the future of the world because other countries will adopt this same philosophy …
"For more than a thousand years there has been a doctrine and Christian definition of what a just war is all about. I think this effort and this plan to go to war comes up short of that doctrine. First, it says that there has to be an act of aggression; and there has not been an act of aggression against the United States. We are 6,000 miles from their shores …
"My argument is when we go to war through the back door, we are more likely to have the wars last longer and not have resolution of the wars, such as we had in Korea and Vietnam. We ought to consider this very seriously …
"Also it is said we are wrong about the act of aggression; there has been an act of aggression against us because Saddam Hussein has shot at our airplanes. The fact that he has missed every single airplane for 12 years, and tens of thousands of sorties have been flown, indicates the strength of our enemy, an impoverished, Third World nation that does not have an air force, anti-aircraft weapons, or a navy …
"There is a need for us to assume responsibility for the declaration of war, and also to prepare the American people for the taxes that will be raised and the possibility of a military draft which may well come.”


Rep. James A. Leach :
"When a cornered tyrant is confronted with the use or lose option with his weapons of mass destruction and is isolated in the Arab world unless he launches a jihad against Israel, it is not hard to imagine what he will choose …
"Israel has never faced a graver challenge to its survival. The likelihood is that weapons of mass destruction, including biological agents, will be immediately unleashed in the event of Western intervention in Iraq. In the Gulf War, Saddam launched some 40 Scud missiles against Israel, none with biological agents. Today, he has mobile labs, tons of such agents and an assortment of means to deliver them …
"Over the last half century America's led the world in approaches expanding international law and building up international institutions. The best chance we have to defeat terrorism and the anarchy it seeks is to widen the application of law and the institutions, including international ones that make law more plausible, acceptable and, in the end, enforceable …
"Today, for the first time in human history, we have a doctrine of mutually assured destruction between two smaller countries, Iraq and Israel, one with biological weapons, the other nuclear. The problem is that an American intervention could easily trigger an Iraqi biological attack on Israel, which could be met by a nuclear response. Not only would we be the potential precipitating actor but our troops would be caught in crosswinds and crossfire.”

We encourage your support for Ron Paul at the Iowa Republican straw poll on August 11 toward his GOP nomination for President of these United States.

Your comments are welcomed here.


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