Jay Inslee: Washington's 1st Congressional District
Issues
Iraq
Pre-War Statement on Iraq
10 October 2002
Today our nation is at a crossroads. Members of Congress have been debating and voting on a resolution that will give the President of the United States the authority to start a war at anytime, for virtually any reason, and with or without any allies. This vote is more than just an issue of dealing with one regime; it is a vote that will fundamentally change the nature of this nation’s foreign and domestic policy future.
I have been listening carefully to my constituents, to classified briefings and to the reasoning of the Administration. It would be difficult to find a voice that didn’t acknowledge that Saddam Hussein is a thug and a tyrant. We don’t owe Saddam Hussein any more time. We don’t owe him anything. But we do owe the dedicated men and women of our Armed Forces who would be put in harm's way our full efforts to avoid going to war, and we have not yet exhausted all approaches to disarming Iraq of weapons of mass destruction.
Everyone agrees that Al Qaeda continues to pose a clear and present danger, and that this terrorist network is a high risk to the United States. As recently as this week, however, the Central Intelligence Agency said that a biological or chemical attack by Iraq on America is not imminent. I do not believe that it is in our country's best interests to divert our resources from a high risk to a low risk. The case has not been made that Iraq poses such an imminent threat to our nation that we must be driven to a unilateral attack on Iraq without international support. Nowhere have we seen credible evidence that Iraq is somehow behind the September 11th attacks.
Since the Second World War, our nation, and indeed the rest of the world, has subscribed to the vision of protection by international law and collective security. The President’s father recognized these foreign policy truths, and he was successful in forming an international coalition to deal with regional problems, most notably Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait. Unfortunately, this administration’s announced intention is to obtain the authority from Congress to start a war on its own, at anytime, for virtually any reason, and with or without our allies.
I cannot vote to give the President a "blank check" to wage war at any time, for any reason, with or without allies. I will vote for an alternative resolution on Iraq, however, called the "Spratt alternative resolution."
The Spratt alternative says that:
- U.S. Armed Forces will be authorized to take action against Iraq in accordance with a new United Nations Security Council resolution to eliminate Iraq's weapons of mass destruction programs.
- If the United Nations Security Council does not act, or adopts a resolution that the President deems insufficient, the President is required to seek a separate, second vote by the U.S. Congress to authorize force.
- The President can seek this second vote on an up-or-down basis if he certifies further action by the United Nations Security Council is not likely to compel Iraq to disarm, and if force is the only option left available, and if he is building as wide-based a coalition as possible, and if action against Iraq will not adversely affect the broader war on terrorism.
The Spratt amendment will move us forward in a way that is consistent with deeply-held American principles. We must continue to engage the international community in a system of mutual security and international law; honor our troops by going the last mile to try to resolve this situation without war, and keep our eye on the ball by focusing our efforts on the threat of al Qaeda. America is the greatest Nation on Earth because we have always matched the might of our Armed Forces with the force of our principles.