Senator Tom Harkin says President Bush does not have the authority to wage war against Iraq.Harkin says the resolution that passed the House and Senate last fall is “null and void” and the President lacks the constitutional authority to go to war without another vote by Congress to declare war. Harkin says Bush hasn’t shown that Iraq poses an “imminent threat” to the U-S. He says all reasonable pathways to disarm Saddam Hussein should be tried and he doesn’t think that’s been done.Harkin says right now, he doesn’t believe the U-S is justified in taking action against Iraq, but Harkin believes the President has decided to do it. Harkin says the U-S should not go it alone, or even with a few allies, but should get a United Nations-coordinated force to take action against Iraq.Iowa Congressman Leonard Boswell says the president has made some progress in explaining the reasons for going to war with Iraq. Boswell, a democrat, says he’s encouraged the president to make sure the American people understand the need for any action.He says the president has made an effort, and says he needs to continue to make more of an effort. Boswell says we don’t want to have any situation like Vietnam where we put our men and women in harms way, and the country isn’t behind it. Boswell, who’s a Vietnam vet, says every other option has to be studied before we go to war, as he says it has to be “the last resort.”
