Not Everyone Voted to Invade Iraq

The occupation of Iraq by U.S. military forces has proved to be a ‘meat-grinder’ for both U.S. forces and Iraqi civilians. National polls indicate that the majority of Americans want U.S. forces out of Iraq. Yet the Senate just passed the 2008 Defense Authorization Bill without timelines for withdrawal.

In the fall of 2002 the Congress authorized the use of military force against Iraq. However, not every member of Congress voted to invade Iraq. It must be noted that every congressional member who voted against invading Iraq did so when both houses of Congress were under Republican control. Despite the overwhelming support for invading Iraq, some members of Congress held to their beliefs, and voted with their consciences.

Rep. Barbara Lee introduced House Resolution 473 on September 19, 2002Iraq’s supposed weapons of mass destruction, which we know now were non-existent. The text of Lee’s resolution stated, “The United States should work through the United Nations to seek to resolve the matter of ensuring that Iraq is not developing weapons of mass destruction, through mechanisms such as the resumption of weapons inspections, negotiation, enquiry, mediation, regional arrangements, and other peaceful means.” which advocated using diplomacy to deal with

California can be called the Golden State for a new reason: a number of its congressional representatives voted no for House Joint Resolution 114, which authorized the use of military forces to invade Iraq, and voted yes for Rep. Lee’s resolution. Rep. Mike Honda said concerning Resolution 114, “I wouldn't vote to support it without more debate.” Rep. Lynn Woolsey said she voted no because she did not believe “our world, our nation, our communities or we as individuals will be safer by going to war against Iraq.”

The current Speaker of the House, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, another Californian, also voted no for resolution 114, stating during debates on the resolution that we must not send the military to war. “Force protection is our top priority on the Intelligence Committee. We must protect our men and women in uniform. They are courageous. They risk their lives for our freedom, for our country. We cannot put them in harm’s way unless we take every precaution possible to protect them.” Pelosi, however, voted no for Rep. Lee’s resolution. She voted no on a similar resolution in 1991, before the Gulf War.

South Carolina native, Rep. John Spratt, Jr. proposed an amendment to the House Joint Resolution 114 which would have required Bush to obtain congressional approval before invading Iraq if a UN resolution could not be obtained. During the House floor debate over the resolution, Spratt predicted that “the outcome after the conflict is actually going to be the hardest part, and it is far less certain.” His proposal lost 270 to 55. “They made the point: We do not want to win this war, only to lose the peace and swell the ranks of terrorists who hate us,” Spratt said.

A total of 133 members of the House voted against resolution 114, including six Republicans. Rep. Dennis Kucinich, Ohio said “Congress and the administration were being driven by fear…the 133 votes against the measure were 'a very strong message' to the administration.”

Republican presidential candidate Rep. Ron Paul, TX spoke out against the resolution during the House’s debate over it. “I have come to the conclusion that I see no threat to our national security. There is no convincing evidence that Iraq is capable of threatening the security of this country, and, therefore, very little reason, if any, to pursue a war,” Paul declared.

Senate Joint Resolution 45 authorized the use of military force in Iraq. It passed on October 16, 2002 with only 23 senators in opposition. During the debates on the resolution, Senator Russ Feingold passionately declared, “An invasion of Iraq in the next few weeks or months could in fact be very counterproductive. In fact, it could risk our national security.” He went on to note that he opposed the resolution because “the continuing unanswered questions.” He stated that the Congress was being asked to “vote on something that is almost unknowable in terms of the information we've been given.”

During an appearance on the Jon Stewart Show, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy said his vote against SJ Resolution 45 was the most important vote he ever cast as a senator. During the debate over the resolution he declared, “The power to declare war is the most solemn responsibility given to Congress by the Constitution. We must not delegate that responsibility to the president in advance.”

Senate Resolution 28, introduced by Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia on January 29, 2003, stated that the UN weapons inspectors should be given “sufficient time for a thorough assessment of the level of compliance by the Government of Iraq with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1441 (2002) and that the United States should seek a United Nations Security Council resolution specifically authorizing the use of force before initiating any offensive military operations against Iraq.”