Democrats and the 'War' Vote

Democrats and the 'War' Vote

by Eugene B. Kogan
Washington Post
Sunday, August 13, 2006; B06

Robert Kagan wrote that 29 Democratic senators voted in 2002 to authorize the war in Iraq ["The Last Honest Man," op-ed, Aug. 6]. His claim that the Oct. 11, 2002, use-of-force resolution represented a vote for the invasion flies in the face of the historical record. The congressional resolution was a vote for diplomacy, not war. On the eve of the vote, President Bush assured Congress that "approving this resolution does not mean that military action is imminent or unavoidable." Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) said her vote for the resolution made diplomatic success "more likely and, therefore, war less likely." Congress voted to strengthen the position of then-Secretary of State Colin L. Powell at the U.N. Security Council as he negotiated unanimous passage of Resolution 1441, forcing Iraq to accept international inspections. The record on Congress's use-of-force authorization must be set straight. EUGENE B. KOGAN Senior Political Analyst Americans for Informed Democracy New Haven, Conn.