Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Editorial: Curb Bush's thirst for war
Virginia's junior senator plans anew to keep President Bush from waging yet another senseless war.
From the RoundTable blog
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The White House appears to be gunning for a unilateral military strike against Iran. This time, the bully president's mission must be aborted before he shoves a region balanced on the rim of chaos into the abyss of a widening war.
Congress can stifle Bush's battle drum with Sen. James Webb's resolution clarifying that Bush cannot invade Iran without congressional authorization. True, the Constitution already limits the president's war powers, but Bush can't be trusted not to stretch the nation's law to his own ends.
Webb intends for Congress to remind Bush of his limitations. If military action is not an option, the White House might be forced to employ diplomacy.
Webb, in a meeting Monday with The Roanoke Times editorial board, said the only way to quell escalating tensions with Iran would be for the U.S. "to step up and be a strong voice diplomatically."
He believes Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and others in the administration want to pursue the sane and rational course, but that some are pushing the merits of military action.
Recent events indicate the warmongers are gaining ground. Bush on Oct. 18 warned we were heading toward World War III unless Iran is prevented from gaining the capability to build nuclear weapons. Vice President Cheney notched up the rhetoric, claiming the U.S. is "prepared to impose serious consequences" if Iran doesn't step back from its uranium enrichment process.
These aren't just aggressive and foolish words spoken by a reckless administration. Bush and Cheney followed through by declaring the Iranian Revolutionary Guard terrorists and imposing sanctions -- the first ever against a sovereign nation's armed forces.
Webb worries that in applying terminology that calls a country's military terrorists, the White House will seek cover under a U.N. resolution that allows it to hunt terrorists.
"We're now saying de facto, you are at war with Iran," Webb said.
Add this to the already heightened concern that Bush would stretch congressional authorization for the Iraq war to cross into Iran.
The White House also is showing cynical disdain for U.N. efforts to inspect and verify Iran's nuclear program. Sound familiar? Even if Iran is working on a weapons program, it is several years away from developing that capability on its own. With the U.S. as its enemy and Russia and China as its allies, that time frame could be shortened.
For now, there is reason to believe that diplomacy can work and that it is the only sensible option.
Yet, increasingly it appears a matter of "when," not "if," the president plans to attack Iran.
Bush must be stopped from fueling World War III. Webb's resolution could slow him.
