George W.ar must ask

The Bush administration has continued to portray Saddam Hussein as a despot and a threat to world security that must be removed from his stranglehold of power in Iraq. And there is little doubt that Hussein's reputation of brutality to his own people is by no means respectable or acceptable for a world leader.\nHowever, unless he gets congressional approval and worldwide support, Bush would be sorely mistaken in taking action to overthrow the current Iraqi regime, even though he is not bound by law to do so.\nLast week, The Washington Post reported that Bush's lawyers have found he can authorize an attack on Iraq without Congressional approval courtesy of the 1991 resolution that allowed Bush's father to take action in the Persian Gulf. According to the Post, "The resolution allowed the use of force to enforce United Nations Security Council resolutions, including demands that Iraq eliminate weapons of mass destruction and open the country to U.N. inspectors."\nBush is also given some clout by the War Powers Act. Under the War Powers Act, which was passed in 1973 in response to the out-of-control escalation of the conflict in Vietnam, allows the president to deploy troops for 60-to-90 days before seeking congressional approval.\nDespite these factors, even those close to Bush are pressuring him to get approval from Congress before taking any action whatsoever. Even old line conservative Bob Dole, the former Senate Majority Leader and Republican nominee for president, advised Bush to seek congressional approval. Dole also beseeched the members of Congress to "ascertain the facts, and then be prepared to vote yea or nay."\nThe issue of international support is a whole other can of worms. While Bush's father had an international coalition in the Persian Gulf conflict in 1991, the younger Bush does not have that kind of support -- the kind of support that is necessary to take the sort of action Bush seeks now.\nEven Tony Blair, Bush's biggest foreign ally, has asked Bush to open dialogue with the United Nations to garner more support.\nMembers of Bush's own cabinet are even questioning the need for immediate military action. Secretary of State Colin Powell, in an interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation, said the first move should be to push for a return of U.N. weapons inspectors to Iraq.\nSo, while taking action to overthrow opposing world leaders is a Bush family tradition -- see Manuel Noriega in Panama, circa 1989 -- the President must seek widespread approval before running the risk of starting a quagmire for the U.S. both domestically and internationally.