Reply #61: Durbin makes clear the difference between Lieberman's IWR and his own, the Levin here.....

[FrenchieCat]

Levin speaking on behalf of the amendment he put forth....and the difference between it and the blank check resolution.

"The resolution the White House seeks is not limited to the use of force if the United Nations authorizes it. On the contrary, it specifically authorizes now the use of force on a unilateral, go-it- alone basis, that is, without Security Council authorization. The President's rhetoric does not match the resolution before us.

The White House approach also authorizes the use of force beyond dealing with Iraq's weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery, which is also a difference from my resolution.

The resolution which I offer on behalf of those cosponsors and myself is consistent with how I think most Americans want us to proceed. It emphasizes the importance of dealing with Iraq on a multilateral basis, and it withholds judgment at this time on the question of whether the United States should go it alone, that is, whether we should act unilaterally against Iraq if the United Nations fails to act. "
http://authforce.liberatedtext.org/021009/cr09oc02-79_08Levin.html