Posted on 10/16/2002 2:30:32 PM PDT by Polycarp
Murtha: Saddam will back down
By KIRK SWAUGER, THE TRIBUNE-DEMOCRAT
October 16, 2002
The ranking member of the House defense appropriations subcommittee maintains Saddam Hussein will back down and avert a threatened war with Iraq.
U.S. Rep. John Murtha, D-Johnstown, said yesterday he believes Saddam won’t hinder United Nations inspectors in their search to find and destroy his stockpile of chemical and biological weapons.
“I think he’ll give in,” Murtha said in a telephone interview from his Capitol Hill office.
“He understands the United States will not put up with it. The last time, he thought the United States wouldn’t go to war.”
Murtha said he reluctantly voted for a resolution authorizing President Bush to take military action against Iraq with the stipulation that Bush obtain congressional blessing before pulling the trigger. Use of force resolutions have cleared both the House and Senate.
Bush also has consented to using U.N. weapons inspectors before going to war, Murtha said.
He said Bush, who had lobbied for unilateral military action, has done a “180-degree turnaround” by listening to Congress and U.S. allies.
“He’s doing it the way I suggested,” Murtha said.
U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Hollidaysburg, also backed using force against Iraq.
In an address to the House before the vote, Shuster pointed to a conversation he had in Afghanistan with Col. Walt Piatt of Somerset.
“Col. Piatt said American military strength is not our smart bombs, our state-of-the-art aircraft or our brave troops,” Shuster said. “Our strength lies in the support and will of the American people.
“Let us reflect on Col. Piatt’s words. Let us send a message to Saddam, that America stands united and we will act if necessary.”
Before agreeing to the resolution, Murtha said he aired his concerns in a 45-minute meeting with Vice President Cheney, along with a short conversation with Bush during the signing of federal legislation for the Flight 93 memorial.
“I was more than a little apprehensive,” Murtha said. “I was concerned about the direction they were going. I was criticizing them about the way they were going to war without consulting Congress, without consulting the United Nations.”
Murtha said he agreed to the resolution only after certain concessions were made.
“The military didn’t feel confident, Secretary Powell felt the same way I did, and our allies were saying you have to do this through the U.N.,” Murtha said.
Murtha said the weapons inspections have to take place by March, before the sweltering desert summer would make it unbearable for ground troops to wear protective gas masks.
After making a trip to Iraq in August, Murtha said he’s convinced Saddam has biological and chemical weapons of mass destruction. But Murtha said the Iraqi ruler has yet to develop a way to deliver the weapons for possible terrorist attacks against the United States and abroad.
If Saddam doesn’t give in as Murtha suspects he will, Murtha said an attack “will not be a long war” but will require more than 200,000 ground troops and solid support from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Kuwait and other allies.
Shuster said Saddam has ignored obligations set forth by the U.N. Security Council in the pursuit of chemical and biological warfare.
“We have the cold hard facts, and as a nation we must now decide how we confront this serious threat,” Shuster said. “Do we proceed with our eyes wide open? Or do we wait until Saddam has used his weapons of mass destruction, killing thousands of innocent people?”
Although Bush is stressing that war is neither imminent nor inevitable, the Pentagon is positioning forces in the Middle East in preparation for a swift attack. All the while, Murtha cautioned the United States needs to be prepared for another attack on the home front similar to Sept. 11.
“There’s going to be another incident in the United States,” he said. “It’s just a matter of time.”
©Tribune Democrat 2002
“I think he’ll give in,” Murtha said in a telephone interview from his Capitol Hill office.
Newsflash: You're a dem, we don't trust you, and no one is going to bet the farm on your supposition.
haven't followed this-WHAT does this mean: with the stipulation that Bush obtain congressional blessing before pulling the trigger. HUH? ANOTHER LOUSY 2 MONTH DEBATE MIGHT BE NEEDED before action could occur?!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.