General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Hillary Clinton, the unrepentant hawk [View all]Martin Eden
(12,863 posts)From the Iraq War Resolution:
http://uspolitics.about.com/od/wariniraq/a/jt_resolution.htm
SEC. 2. SUPPORT FOR UNITED STATES DIPLOMATIC EFFORTS. The Congress of the United States supports the efforts by the President to-- 1. strictly enforce through the United Nations Security Council all relevant Security Council resolutions regarding Iraq and encourages him in those efforts; and
2. obtain prompt and decisive action by the Security Council to ensure that Iraq abandons its strategy of delay, evasion and noncompliance and promptly and strictly complies with all relevant Security Council resolutions regarding Iraq .
and
SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION FOR USE OF UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES.
(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 .
-----------------------------
SEC. 2. states that military action against Iraq is to enforce UN Security Council regulations. If you recall, a second vote was needed in the Security Council to authorize military action. Bush lobbied hard to gain the necessary votes, and when he saw he'd lose he called off the vote. And invaded anyway. Do you think Bush exceeded the authority granted to him in the UN Charter and in the Iraq War Resolution passed by Congress? If so, please show me where Hillary Clinton denounced him for it, or at least pointed out that he exceeded his authority. Not years later when it was politically expedient to do so, but before the invasion/occupation turned into a fiasco.
The key words in SEC. 3. are "as he determines" (referring to the president). This part is absolutely crucial. Why? because pretty much everyone at DU and most of the world outside the United States knew the Bush administration was hell-bent on invading Iraq, even if they didn't know about PNAC and the fact that Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, and several other key figures in the Bush administration were PNAC signatories and that invading Iraq was #1 on the agenda for their New American Century.
Do you think Hillary knew that?
If she didn't, she was inexcusably ignorant.
If she did, she knew (as we did here at DU) that if the IWR passed Bush would invade Iraq. Regardless of the UN Security Council and the inspections process. Period.