September 11, 2002 Op-Ed by Representative Lynn Woolsey, D-Petaluma War is never inevitable, but President Bush is working hard to make us think otherwise. While his mind appears made up about Iraq, many others have serious doubts about his scheme to overthrow Saddam Hussein - the American people are divided, our allies are reluctant, even his own administration is split. I believe that a decision to invade Iraq would be a terrible mistake: The President’s single-mindedness threatens the lives of thousands of American soldiers and Iraqi civilians, ignores international law, disregards our Constitution, and undermines our fight against terrorism. Yet, the President presses for an invasion. It is true that Saddam Hussein is a dictator. He is a bad man and the world would be better off without him. But, the world will also be better off if the United States works within the scope of international institutions instead of launching a unilateral attack against Iraq. America’s greatest asset is our moral authority, not our military power. Attacking a sovereign country unprovoked forfeits that authority completely. Furthermore, a war to depose Saddam Hussein will be a long, brutal affair. Such a war would be fought in Iraq’s crowded urban centers, not the open desert plain; the casualties would be high and the civilian losses great. This kind of war would make Desert Storm look like a turkey shoot. Invading Iraq could also undermine America’s vital interests in the Mideast and around the world. It is unfortunate but true that Iraq’s neighbors mistrust the United States even more than they mistrust Saddam. Invading Iraq could have drastic repercussions by energizing Arab nationalists and Islamic fundamentalists looking to overthrow governments across the Mideast. Such an outcome is even more likely if Saddam responds to an invasion by retaliating against Israel. And if he succeeds in killing Israelis and polarizing the Mideast, what then? Only if President Bush proves that the Iraqi government directly facilitated the September 11 attacks will I even consider retracting my opposition to war. Bush’s claims regarding Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction are no justification for aggression. In America we should hold ourselves to a higher standard. Those weapons programs are frightening, but public policy must be based on facts, not fear. The fact is that Saddam’s nuclear weapons programs were ninety-five percent destroyed by 1998 when U.N. inspection teams pulled out. Meanwhile, President Bush has sent a message of his own by backing out of the ABM Treaty, refusing to sign the Kyoto treaty, refusing to be a party to the Mine Ban Treaty, withdrawing the U.S. signature to the International Criminal Court Treaty, failing to pay off our immense debt to the United Nations, and embracing the use of mini-nukes. Is it any wonder that other nations are not flocking to our side when we ignore the same international standards that we accuse Saddam Hussein of disregarding? We must take a long, hard look at our own policies to ensure that we don’t violate the same rules we expect others to follow. As a nation, it is our responsibility to live up to our own democratic ideals. The President’s rush toward war and his unwillingness to respect the Constitution’s system of checks and balances is irresponsible. Only Congress has the authority to declare war, and attempting to get rid of Saddam Hussein by invading Iraq most certainly constitutes a war. Previous congressional approval for the war against terrorism does not give President Bush the authority to invade any sovereign nation of his choosing, which is why I joined fifteen of my colleagues as an original cosponsor of H. J. Res. 109, a measure calling for a congressional vote regarding military action in Iraq. We owe it to our children to exercise the full range of diplomatic options in Iraq, so we can prevent a war that will cost thousands of lives. Ensure that your voice is heard by communicating with your Senators and me. War represents a failure of public policy. It is a last resort. America’s strength is our commitment to moral action and a government based on the rule of law. That law must never be silent, and our moral sensibilities must never be intimidated by fear.