September 27, 2002
THE WHEAT FROM THE CHAFF:
Text: Gore Assails Bush's Iraq Policy (former vice president Al Gore's speech before the Commonwealth Club of San Francisco, Sept. 23, 2002)[A]ll Americans should acknowledge that Iraq does, indeed, pose a serious threat to the stability of the Persian Gulf region, and we should be about the business of organizing an international coalition to eliminate his access to weapons of mass destruction. Iraq's search for weapons of mass destruction has proven impossible to completely deter, and we should assume that it will continue for as long as Saddam is in power.Now let's be clear: There's no international law that can prevent the United States from taking action to protect our vital interests when it is manifestly clear that there's a choice to be made between law and our survival. Indeed, international law itself recognizes that such choices stay within the purview of all nations.
I believe, however, that such a choice is not presented in the case of Iraq. Indeed, should we decide to proceed, our action can be justified within the framework of international law rather than requiring us to go outside the framework of international law.
In fact, even though a new United Nations resolution might be helpful in the effort to forge an international consensus, I think it's abundantly clear that the existing U.N. resolutions, passed 11 years ago, are completely sufficient from a legal standpoint, so long as it is clear that Saddam Hussein is in breach of the agreements made at the conclusion of the Persian Gulf War.
Now one of the simple points I want to make here today is that we have an obligation to look at the relationship between our war against terrorism and this proposed war against Iraq.
We have a goal of regime change in Iraq; we have had for a number of years. We also have a clear goal of victory in the war against terror.
In the case of Iraq, it would be difficult to go it alone but it's theoretically possible to achieve our goals in Iraq unilaterally.
It's so hard to listen to Al Gore without grinding your teeth down to nubs that we'd missed this point, but his former National Security advisor, Leon Fuerth, was just on FOX News with Tony Snow and made the same point. This is essentially an argument against the need to get a new UN resolution or a new declaration of war from Congress for that matter. Even if he thinks it would be wiser to get both, it's interesting that Mr. Gore is conceding the legality of proceeding without.
Posted by Orrin Judd at September 27, 2002 12:47 PM
Here is a link to an interesting timeline
, which I excerpt below:
:
April 3, 1991: U.N. Security Council passes Resolution 687. It includes many demands but states that once Iraq complies with the weapons inspection regime, the sanctions "shall have no further force or effect."
May 20, 1991: James Baker, Secretary of State: "We are not interested in seeing a relaxation of sanctions as long as Saddam Hussein is in power."
January 13, 1993: Incoming President Clinton: "If he [Hussein] wants a different relationship with the United States and the United Nations, all he has to do is change his behavior."
January 14, 1993: Clinton backtracks: "There is no difference between my policy and the policy of the present Administration.... I have no intention of normalizing relations with him."
January 12, 1995: While inspections were taking place, Ambassador Madeleine Albright said the U.S. was "determined to oppose any modification of the sanctions regime until Iraq has moved to comply with all its outstanding obligations." She specifically cited the return of Kuwaiti weaponry and non-military equipment.
March 26, 1997: Albright, in her first major foreign policy address as Secretary of State: "We do not agree with the nations who argue that if Iraq complies with its obligations concerning weapons of mass destruction, sanctions should be lifted. Our view, which is unshakable, is that Iraq must prove its peaceful intentions.... And the evidence is overwhelming that Saddam Hussein's intentions will never be peaceful."
November 14, 1997: Clinton: [When Iraq broke the inspections regime] "What he has just done is to ensure that the sanctions will be there until the end of time or as long as he lasts."