Rep. Lloyd Doggett: Don't be Stampeded into War

Don’t be Stampeded Into War

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Washington-- U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), who was actively involved in opposing the authorization for President Bush to invade Iraq, spoke on the House floor concerning the legal basis for any future action in Iraq:

“This Congress has a constitutional obligation to approve military action before any President decides to shoot first and ask questions later. A twelve-year-old resolution, enacted in the aftermath of 9/11, should not provide a basis for endless war.”

“Some of the same self-certified smart people, who were talking about mushroom clouds and weapons of mass destruction, are once again trying to stampede us into war. We’ve been there and done that, and America is still paying a terrible price for their past failures, though they refuse to acknowledge them.”

“Protecting our embassy in Baghdad, that’s one thing, or responding to a true emergency, but if any president wants to launch offensive military action, they need to come and make specific case to this Congress for authorization, Just as President Obama said he would do last year regarding Syria, not some convoluted interpretation of a resolution from a different time and circumstance.”

“If there is a case for war, have the courage to come here and make it, but don’t rely on an open-ended authorization of military force from long ago.”

Hereis Rep. Doggett’s October 2002 House floor speech warning against invading Iraq.

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