Saturday, October 02, 2004
Yes, Butting with our future
John Kerry said:
"No president, through all of American history, has ever ceded, and nor would I, the right to preempt in any way necessary to protect the United States of America. But if and when I do it, Jim, you have to do it in a way that passes the test, that passes the global test where your countrymen, your people understand fully why you're doing what you're doing and you can prove to the world that you did it for legitimate reasons."
But who judges the global test results? Algeria? Benin? Nepal? Whatever countries are in the security council that month? The entire UN?
I like President Bush's response: "My attitude is you take preemptive action in order to protect the American people, that you act in order to make this secure."
Terrence Jeffries, writing for Human Events, notes:
So, what "test" of any kind ought to be imposed on a U.S. President when he uses military force, preemptively or otherwise? There is only one test and Bush passed it in the case of the Iraq War.
It is called the Constitution--Article I, Section 8, Clause 11 of which says: "The Congress shall have power . . . to declare war."
On October 10, 2002, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 296 to 133 for a resolution authorizing the President to use force in Iraq. On October 11, 2002, the Senate approved the resolution, 77 to 23. John Kerry voted in the affirmative.
If you read Mr. Kerry's long list of Yes, buts, too much of it reads like he wants to sell American sovereignity to the UN. I am not sure if the American people are ready for that.
"No president, through all of American history, has ever ceded, and nor would I, the right to preempt in any way necessary to protect the United States of America. But if and when I do it, Jim, you have to do it in a way that passes the test, that passes the global test where your countrymen, your people understand fully why you're doing what you're doing and you can prove to the world that you did it for legitimate reasons."
But who judges the global test results? Algeria? Benin? Nepal? Whatever countries are in the security council that month? The entire UN?
I like President Bush's response: "My attitude is you take preemptive action in order to protect the American people, that you act in order to make this secure."
Terrence Jeffries, writing for Human Events, notes:
So, what "test" of any kind ought to be imposed on a U.S. President when he uses military force, preemptively or otherwise? There is only one test and Bush passed it in the case of the Iraq War.
It is called the Constitution--Article I, Section 8, Clause 11 of which says: "The Congress shall have power . . . to declare war."
On October 10, 2002, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 296 to 133 for a resolution authorizing the President to use force in Iraq. On October 11, 2002, the Senate approved the resolution, 77 to 23. John Kerry voted in the affirmative.
If you read Mr. Kerry's long list of Yes, buts, too much of it reads like he wants to sell American sovereignity to the UN. I am not sure if the American people are ready for that.
# posted by Knitting a Conundrum @ 7:23 AM 
