| WASHINGTON
- February 27 - A bipartisan group of former United States Senators
today announced its opposition to the Bush Administration's plans
to invade Iraq.
In a statement
released by the former lawmakers, the group said that, among other
problems a war will cause, the already struggling American economy
will fall into a recession. The statement continues:
"We are concerned
with the expenditure of American lives in a war that need not
be undertaken at this time. Not only will our sons and daughters
be put in harm's way, but this is a war that will dramatically
increase the terrorist threat to Americans both at home, as well
as the more than one million Americans who live abroad."
"We favor multiplying
U.N. inspectors in Iraq -- if necessary accompanied by U.N. forces
-- to complete the U.N.'s task more quickly and effectively. This
will be eminently less expensive in lives and treasure than all-out
war."
"The nation's
almost-forgotten 'war on terrorism' has been seriously neglected
because of the Administration's preoccupation with Iraq and Saddam
Hussein."
"We are all
concerned that serious damage that can be done to the United States
by terrorism triggered by an attack on a sovereign Arab nation."
"As well, all
Americans should be concerned that an invasion when carried to
Iraq's cities will result in the needless killing of innocent
Iraqi civilians, especially women and children, who have no voice
in their government's policies."
"A first strike
is not authorized under international law, because Iraq poses
no imminent or unavoidable threat to the United States. And there
has been no confirmable evidence of any connection between Iraq
and Al Qaeda."
"We believe
that the principles of the United Nations' Charter will be violated
if we attack another nation when we are not threatened. Such an
attack will seriously undermine our ability to represent a moral
standard to the world. We will be prevented from objecting should
India or Pakistan decide to attack the other, or if China should
decide to invade Taiwan. Instead of undermining United Nations'
principles, we should be supporting them."
"We successfully
contained the Soviet Union for nearly 50 years by avoiding an
attack on that country which was a real threat the U.S. Iraq has
no current ability to threaten the United States as does North
Korea, for example."
The group
of former lawmakers includes Former United States Senators George
McGovern of South Dakota, John Culver of Iowa, Paul Simon of
Illinois, Adlai Stevenson III of Illinois, Fred Harris of Oklahoma,
Dale Bumpers of Arkansas, Charles Mac Mathias of Maryland, Bill
Hathaway of Maine, John Tunney of California, Gary Hart of Colorado,
Howard Metzenbaum of Ohio, and James Abourezk of South Dakota.
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