Senator Robert Byrd

If you listen to Rush Limbaugh for any length of time, he'll eventually point out that Senator Robert Byrd (D, W.Va.) is a former member of the Ku Klux Klan. Rush never tires of pointing that out, because it puts the lie to all the nonsense about Republicans being racist. It can also be used to discredit anything Senator Byrd ever says. Byrd left the Klan in 1943, but it is his original sin, so to speak. That being said, he is one of the few democratic senators who challenges the President on the issues these days. Yesterday, February 13, 2003, speaking from the floor, he stated the following;

"This is no simple attempt to defang a villain. No. This coming battle, if it materializes, represents a turning point in U.S. foreign policy and possibly a turning point in the recent history of the world.

This nation is about to embark upon the first test of a revolutionary doctrine applied in an extraordinary way at an unfortunate time. The doctrine of preemption -- the idea that the United States or any other nation can legitimately attack a nation that is not imminently threatening but may be threatening in the future -- is a radical new twist on the traditional idea of self defense. . . . And it is being tested at a time of world-wide terrorism, making many countries around the globe wonder if they will soon be on our -- or some other nation's -- hit list. High level Administration figures recently refused to take nuclear weapons off of the table when discussing a possible attack against Iraq. What could be more destabilizing and unwise than this type of uncertainty, particularly in a world where globalism has tied the vital economic and security interests of many nations so closely together?"

That is a good question. Is there anybody who thinks that we could drop an atomic bomb on Iraq and not suffer grave consequences? Senator Byrd also wonders why congress is not debating the issue; I'm afraid the answer is all to obvious. Congress has rendered itself useless to address this issue. They have given that power to the president, in House Joint Resolution 114, which states,

(a) AUTHORIZATION- The President is authorized to use the Armed Forces of the United States as he determines to be necessary and appropriate in order to--

(1) defend the national security of the United States against the continuing threat posed by Iraq ; and

(2) enforce all relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions regarding Iraq .

So there it is. Congress gave up their power to wage war to the President.