Mr. President, the issue of American presence in the Middle East is of great importance. We are currently engaged in a war in Iraq from which, according to poll after poll, a majority of the American…
Mr. President, the issue of American presence in the Middle East is of great importance. We are currently engaged in a war in Iraq from which, according to poll after poll, a majority of the American people believe we should withdraw.
In the face of the momentous elections of this past November, in which the American electorate indicated their dissatisfaction with the President's policies in Iraq, President Bush has responded with a call for more troops, not less. At this moment, he is escalating the war, not redeploying our brave men and women out of harm's way. He is sending these troops into the middle of a civil war.
Now there are reports that the President may be considering expanding this tragic war into Iran. The President has no constitutional authority to make war on Iran, nor has he historical precedent. I offer today a resolution ``expressing the sense of Congress that the President should not initiate military action against Iran without first obtaining authorization from Congress.'' It sets forth the constitutional grant of authority to Congress for declaring war and funding any war, which cites Federalist paper number 69 on the intention of the drafters of the Constitution, and which cites Presidents Washington and Jefferson on the power reserved to Congress to authorize war.
The resolution strongly and unequivocally affirms that the President does not have the power to initiate military action against Iran without first obtaining authorization from Congress, that neither of the existing authorizations to use military force in Iraq gives him such authority, and that the President must seek congressional authority prior to taking any military action against Iran.
