Posted by Tony from 63-93-74-96.lsan.dial.netzero.com (63.93.74.96) on Tuesday, January 21, 2003 at 2:56PM :
January 21, 2003
Mr. Tony BeitMalo
10961 Danube Avenue
Granada Hills, California 91344-5413
Dear Mr. BeitMalo:
Thank you for contacting me regarding U.S.
policy toward Iraq. Deciding whether the United
States should send its sons and daughters to war
is the most serious, the most humbling and the
most important role Congress has to play. I
deeply appreciate your thoughts and comments on
this critical issue.
On October 10, Congress approved a
resolution authorizing the President of the
United States to use force against Iraq in a go-
it-alone, unilateral fashion without any
guarantee of support from our allies or the
United Nations. After careful deliberation, I
could not vote for a blank check to give the
President such broad authority when so many
questions about a unilateral war remain
unanswered.
How many U.S. troops will be needed? How
long will they stay in Iraq? What will be the
cost of the war and reconstruction? Would acting
alone turn the rest of the world against us? As
a member of the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee, it is clear that these questions have
yet to be fully explored.
We do know that the military strength that
we possess is awesome. That is clear to the
world. But a world leader should make war a last
resort and should try to avoid the harsh
devastation of war where it is possible. To me,
this is the moral position that will be respected
by our friends and allies throughout the world.
That is why I voted for an alternative
resolution offered by Senator Carl Levin that
stresses cooperation with our allies and the
United Nations in disarming Iraq of weapons of
mass destruction (WMD) through new U.N.
inspections.
While the Levin alternative was defeated in
the Senate, please know that I will continue to
work for a peaceful resolution that addresses the
threat posed by weapons of mass destruction in
Iraq and throughout the world. I believe it is
imperative that the U.S. should lead the way
toward a path for peace; trying everything to
avoid the chaos and destruction of war.
Once again, thank you for contacting me on
this important issue.
Sincerely,
Barbara Boxer
United States Senator
-- Tony
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