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Profile: Debate Continues Over Possible Military Strikes Against Iraq
Morning Edition: August 27, 2002
 Iraq Debate
RENEE MONTAGNE, host:
This is MORNING EDITION from NPR News. Bob Edwards is on vacation. I'm Renee Montagne.
Several key members of Congress say they're not persuaded yet that the United States should go to war against Iraq. Lawmakers from both parties are calling for a national debate about what to do and they're demanding more information. Some say they aren't convinced by the latest White House effort to build support. NPR's Steve Inskeep reports.
STEVE INSKEEP reporting:
Vice President Dick Cheney called for action against Iraq as he spoke yesterday before a veterans' convention. Cheney insisted on a few essential points: Iraq has chemical weapons. It's seeking nuclear weapons and its leader is Saddam Hussein.
Vice President DICK CHENEY: We are, after all, dealing with the same dictator who shoots at American and British pilots in the no-fly zone on a regular basis, the same dictator who dispatched a team of assassins to murder former President Bush as he traveled abroad, the same dictator who invaded Iran and Kuwait and has fired ballistic missiles at Iran, Saudi Arabia and Israel.
INSKEEP: It was the most forceful explanation yet of why some senior members of the Bush administration favor preemptive action. It wasn't enough for Henry Hyde. The Republican chairman of the House Foreign Relations Committee says he plans to hold hearings next month investigating the case for war.
Representative HENRY HYDE: We might have the makings of a very broad war.
INSKEEP: Hyde says a war against Iraq could easily spread across the region. He says he wants to know if Saddam Hussein is really dangerous enough to justify that risk.
Rep. HYDE: I assume the president has information that has not been made public because of sources and methods of acquiring that, but he and Mr. Cheney seem pretty positive. We need to be brought into their circle of information so the country can be supportive.
INSKEEP: Congressman, you seem to be saying that although you have a pretty high security clearance yourself, you have not been shown concrete evidence to support this action yet.
Rep. HYDE: No. I haven't asked for it either, but I think it is coming to the point where we all need to be persuaded.
INSKEEP: One lawmaker who did ask for classified information is Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel. He's a Vietnam veteran and a Republican member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Senator CHUCK HAGEL (Republican, Nebraska): I have been briefed all this month by Pentagon intelligence people, by the CIA, by the State Department. Based on all the intelligence briefings that I've received, I do not know of, nor am I aware of, additional intelligence that would link Saddam Hussein to any action taken directly against the United States.
INSKEEP: Pentagon officials have offered briefings to other lawmakers about the general threat of weapons of mass destruction around the world. But Defense officials argue that the US should not have to provide detailed evidence about Iraqi intentions. The officials warn that Iraq can hide its plans, that terrorist groups can, too, and that the US cannot wait for perfect information. That argument is enough for some key officials. House Majority Whip Tom DeLay declared his support for war several days ago. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has argued forcefully for action, even though he avoids questions about whether the US has the legal right to attack.
SOUNDBITE OF PRESS CONFERENCE
PAM: What makes a preemptive strike legal under international law, in your eyes?
Secretary DONALD RUMSFELD (Defense Department): Well, I'm not a lawyer, Pam, you know that. Don't give me that stuff.
PAM: Skip the international law part. What makes a preemptive strike OK, acceptable?
Sec. RUMSFELD: Well, I would make the case that there are a whole series of things that ought to be looked at.
INSKEEP: Rather than talk about Iraq, Rumsfeld chose to answer in general terms about a hypothetical case, saying the United States was considering a preemptive strike against the moon.
SOUNDBITE OF PRESS CONFERENCE
Sec. RUMSFELD: And of course, the advantage of not acting against the moon would be that no one could say that you acted. They would say, `Isn't that good? You didn't do anything against the moon.' The other side of the coin of not acting against the moon in the event that the moon posed a serious threat would be that you then suffered a serious loss and you're sorry after that's over.
INSKEEP: Back on Earth, some lawmakers say a decision about Iraq is more complicated. Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel says he thinks the Bush administration is battling against itself even as the president claims to have made no decision.
Sen. HAGEL: Well, the president is saying one thing, the vice president's saying something else and you got a Defense Department that constantly beats the war drums and a State Department that is completely reserved and withdrawn from that, so that confuses the American public. It scares the American public. It confuses and scares our allies.
INSKEEP: It also confuses some members of Congress who are divided over what to do. Vice President Cheney promised to consult lawmakers before the administration acts.
Vice Pres. CHENEY: What we must not do in the face of a mortal threat is to give in to wishful thinking or willful blindness.
INSKEEP: Last week, President Bush complained about what he called a media frenzy about Iraq. This week, Vice President Cheney leaped into that frenzy himself. Steve Inskeep, NPR News, Washington.
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