What Reasons Do We Need?
If the presence of WMD was never at issue, there continues to be no proof that Saddam aided and harbored al Qaeda or any other “international” terrorist group that threatens the US, and if legal standards set forth by the UN are irrelevant to US interests then the Joint Resolution authorizing the use of force in Iraq would look like this:To authorize the use of United States Armed Forces against Iraq.
Whereas the current Iraqi regime has demonstrated its continuing hostility toward, and willingness to attack, the United States, including by attempting in 1993 to assassinate former President Bush and by firing on many thousands of occasions on United States and Coalition Armed Forces engaged in patrolling the north and south of Iraq.
Whereas the United States has the inherent right to use force in order to defend itself;
The President is authorized to use all means that he determines to be appropriate, including force, in order to enforce the United Nations Security Council Resolutions referenced above, defend the national security interests of the United States against the threat posed by Iraq, and restore international peace and security in the region.
That’s it, folks. We are being told, in effect, that this is all that is really required for the US congress to authorize the invasion of a sovereign nation. All we have to do from now on is send our planes over any country and get them to fire on us and we can claim invasion is self-defense.
And, it sure will teach any would be assassins that there’s a big price to pay for targeting a certain somebody’s daddy, doesn’t it?