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Friday, Oct. 11, 2002

The Senate is expected to follow suit before the end of the week.

"The House debate was conducted in the best traditions of the United States Congress. It was spirited, civil and it was informed. This is a debate and a decision that all Americans can be proud of," President Bush said after the House vote.

'Committed to Freedom'

"The United States is committed to helping make the world more peaceful and just. We are committed to freedom for all."

Opponents of the bill tried to stop its passage Thursday by asking that it be recommitted, or sent back to a committee for further deliberation. That motion was rejected, 325-101.

That vote and the presence of the bipartisan House leadership extolling the resolution's virtues made passage practically a forgone conclusion.

The outgoing House Republican Conference chairman, Rep. J.C. Watts of Oklahoma, followed the president's strategy lumping Iraq in with al-Qaeda and other terrorist organizations.

'Evil Dictatorship'

"Our nation and our military may very well need to right the wrongs being perpetrated from an evil dictatorship in Iraq," Watts said.

"Saddam Hussein poses a long-term threat that could jeopardize the freedoms and the way of life enjoyed by Americans ... a threat that grows more menacing over time."

But the GOP's enthusiasm for the use of force resolution was tempered by statements of top Democrats, including a party leader, who described the vote in support of the resolution as a "difficult one."

"I hope, as do the American people, that the president will use this discretion wisely," said Democrat caucus chairman Martin Frost of Texas. "Today's vote is a difficult one. Many House members have worn their country's uniform in time of war and have seen the horrors of battle firsthand."

However, Rep. Tom Lantos, D-Calif., said, "It is only when the Iraqi dictator is certain of our willingness to wage war if necessary that peace becomes possible."

The House vote came just after a small demonstration against any military action against Iraq disrupted debate. Capitol Hill police officers arrested two women at the instruction of the acting Speaker of the House, Rep. Ray LaHood, R-Ill.

Even as the House passed the resolution, the Senate Thursday moved a step closer to giving the president the authority to use force against Iraq, voting 75-25 to end debate and heading off a potential filibuster by Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va.

Daschle Reads the Poll Numbers

In another major victory Thursday for Bush, Senate plurality leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., announced his support for the resolution. He had previously sounded optimistic that a resolution could be reached and critical of Iraq, but stopped far short of endorsing the plan.

As Fox News Channel has reported, Democrats seem to be flocking to support the president because of new Democrat polling that shows most Americans want their congressmen to endorse Bush on Iraq.

"Because this resolution is improved, because I believe that Saddam Hussein represents a real threat, and because I believe it is important for America to speak with one voice at this critical moment, I will vote to give the president the authority he needs," Daschle said.

In a speech on the Senate floor, Daschle detailed how the resolution had been changed to his liking. Despite expressing support for the use-of-force resolution, he warned the president about the dangers of using force.

"If the administration attempts to use the authority in this resolution without doing the work that is required before and after military action in Iraq, the situation there, and elsewhere, can indeed get worse," Daschle said.

"We could see more turmoil in the Persian Gulf, not less. Americans could find themselves more vulnerable to terrorist attacks, not less.

"This resolution represents a beginning, not an end. If we are going to make America and the world safer, much more work needs to be done before the force authorized in this document is used."

The Senate technically has 30 hours of debate to complete before a final vote can be taken, but leaders in both parties are working to develop a deal to speed the vote.

Senate Snubs Ex-Klansman

Earlier Thursday, the Senate rejected, on a 66-31 vote, an amendment to the resolution sponsored by Byrd, the famous former Ku Klux Klansman, that would have set a 12-month limit to any authorization. The president could extend this 12-month period by giving Congress 60 days' notice.

The House also defeated an amendment, 355-72, offered by left-wing Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., that would have committed the United States to using weapons inspectors against Hussein's regime and would have prohibited the use of force unilaterally.

Lee also cast the lone vote against the use of force against al-Qaeda and the Taliban dictatorship in Afghanistan.

Copyright 2002 by United Press International.

All rights reserved.

Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:

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Editor's note:
Saddam Hussein’s race to make a nuclear bomb