EMAIL FROM SENATOR GEORGE ALLEN SUPPORTING THE PRESIDENT.
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> February 14, 2003
>
>
> Mr. Martin Carbone
> 895 Quail Hill Drive
> San Marcos, Virginia 92069
>
> Dear Martin:
>
> Thank you for contacting me regarding the possibility of war with Iraq. I appreciate hearing your views and having the opportunity to respond on this important issue.
>
> I stand with our President in his resolve to protect the American people, and with Secretary of State Colin Powell who is providing steady, serious diplomatic leadership. This, literally, is a matter of life and death -
> for both our military and the Iraqi people. I continue to hold out a slim chance of hope that this problem will be resolved peacefully through international diplomacy, although much depends on Iraq’s actions.
>
> The President, CIA, Department of Defense and the State Department have presented clear and convincing evidence that Saddam Hussein and his regime in Iraq are a credible threat to the United States and its allies around the world. In his presentation to the United Nations, Secretary Powell clearly laid out the case against Iraq. The photographs of Iraqi ammunition dumps and intercepted telephone conversations between Iraqi
> military leaders prove beyond a doubt that Saddam Hussein is hiding his weapons capabilities from the world. The presence of weapons delivery systems in Iraq and Saddam’s ties to terrorist networks, such as Al-Qaeda,
> are too great a threat to ignore.
>
> Because this threat is present and real, I believe the dangers Iraq poses only would become greater with inaction by the international community. It was after the greatest deliberation that I stood to cast my vote in
> October on the most serious responsibility the United States Constitution delegates to Congress - authorizing the use of military action against another nation.
>
> The goal of the United States and the international community has been, and remains, disarmament of Iraq. Saddam Hussein has not accepted this demand and must be stripped of all capabilities to develop, manufacture
> and stockpile biological and chemical weapons of mass destruction. He must also be rid of missiles and other means to either deliver them himself or through a terrorist subcontractor.
>
> Saddam Hussein is a vile dictator, with regard for only his own survival. He compromises the well being of all Iraqis in his efforts to maintain power and accumulate wealth. History shows that this Iraqi leader only
> responds when his power is threatened. Saddam Hussein has not fully cooperated with the U.N. inspectors and we must not allow him to continue his shell game of deceptive ploys. We must not allow Saddam Hussein
the unchecked opportunity to continue developing and pursuing the world’s worst weapons.
>
> I feel confident entrusting the President with the authority to carry out his duties as Commander-in-Chief. With the threat of weapons of mass destruction, our President needs to be able to work expediently to ensure
> the safety of American citizens. I am hopeful that this problem will be resolved peacefully through international diplomacy. In the event that those efforts fail, I do not want our President to be hobbled without the
> authority to protect the citizens of the United States. Military action must remain an option for our diplomatic efforts to have credibility and success.
>
> I want to thank you again for taking the time to contact me. It is truly an honor to work for you in the United States Senate, and I want you to know that your input is very helpful as I look for ways to ensure that
> your voice is heard in Washington.
>
> With warm regards, I remain
>
> Sincerely, George Allen
Response by Martin Carbone
Thank you for your thougthful and complete reply to my email about the impending Iraq war.
I sent that email to every Senator and you are the first one , and perhaps only one, to give me a substantive reply.
I certainly can appreciate almost all of your reasoning -- Saddam does appear to be a bad guy to the nth degree and whether or not to take action now is imply a matter of personal judgement -- it is obvious that reasonable people might differ on what to do.
However I respectfully offer my opinion that you are FACTUALLY INCORRECT in the following, where you wrote, “It was after the greatest deliberation that I stood to cast my vote in October on the most serious responsibility the United States Constitution delegates to Congress - authorizing the use of military action against another nation.”
The constitution specifically authorizes congress to “DECLARE WAR” (emphasis added) not “authorize the use of military action against another nation”.
Why did you and your fellow Congessmen avoid the direct issue? We will be fighting a WAR -- why not call a war a war? If you declare war, I think the public will fall in behind you - but if you shilly-shally -- you will wind up with a divided populace and the setting for Vietnam type demonstrations and popular hostility from now till forever.
Please -- either DECLARE WAR or DON’T (I will back you either way) -- but don’t leave us guessing as to your real intent.
Martin R. Carbone (martinrc@adelphia.net)
895 Quail Hill Drive / San Marcos, CA 92069
Phone 760-591-4918 / Fax 760-591-4814