The Pen vs The Sword

02/19/2007

Paul Munnis


Does legal authority granted under false pretense and using lies to obtain it have the force of law?

It’s an interesting question and one that Congress must now take up. Bush misrepresented the Iraqi War to the American people and to Congress. He lied about WMD and other details concerning Iraq. He claimed for instance that Iraq was a part of the al Queda movement and involved in the 9/11 bombings. That has proven false too.

In return he got Congress to authorize the use of force against Iraq. Bush did so thus causing hundreds of thousands of Iraqi and US deaths.

Congressional representatives are now saying that if they knew then what they know now they would not have voted to give such an authorization to Mr. Bush.

Mr. Bush is hiding under the Congressional vote given in 2002 allowing him to use “whatever force is deemed necessary.”

So did Mr. Bush violate the law? Did he commit a crime in knowingly lying to Congress? Should he be removed from office because of it? Is it even possible to remove him from office? What about the deaths – are they to be ignored or does justice cry out for vindication of innocent blood?

I guess it comes down partly to the question of whether he did this knowingly, as some claim; or innocently because he was duped by intelligence reports, as others claim. Getting to the bottom of those matters is the first step. After that the pragmatic question of “can he be removed” then comes into play. Impeachment requires 60 votes in the Senate and a recent test shows the Senate to be four-short of the required number. Those four votes are insurance for Mr. Bush.

For that reason Congress is looking at the authority they granted a bit differently. Now that Saddam is unseated and gone, now that a government has been elected in Iraq with a Constitution, now that Iraq has a trained Army and police force, and now that Iraq is involved in a sectarian civil war – should Congress vote to change the authorization? Many think that they should and so pragmatic methods are being examined. Can that come to pass? Would it pass?

It seems to be coming down to a contest between the lawmakers in Congress and lawyers for the Administration. Who is stronger? Who will triumph?

We are taught that the pen is mightier than the sword – we shall soon put that to a test.