Senator Boxer Wrote Me Back

Remember when there was some debate as to whether or not Congress should investigate whether Bush 2.0 was lying when he said that British Intelligence knew that Saddam Hussein had tried to purchase enriched uranium in Africa?

Well, it turns out that Bush was speaking falsely (and then tried to stick it on poor old George Tenet!) but I still wanted to see the legislative branch do something to assert its check on the, seemingly ever expanding, powers of the executive branch. I told one of my Senators, B. Boxer that I hoped she would support measures to get a full and accurate accounting. She wrote back….

Thank you for contacting me regarding weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in Iraq. I appreciate your concern, and I apologize for the delay in responding.

In making the case for war against Iraq, President Bush cited specific evidence that Saddam Hussein possessed chemical and biological weapons and was aggressively pursuing the acquisition of nuclear weapons.

Concerns have been raised that in making its case, the Administration exaggerated the threat posed by Iraqi WMD to the United States. For example, the President’s assertion during the State of the Union Address that Iraq was attempting to procure nuclear materials from Africa was based on a document that was easily proved a forgery by the International Atomic Energy Agency. This disturbs me greatly and I am determined to get to the bottom of it.

Playing games with words has no place in the conduct of foreign policy when so many lives are at stake. As you may know, I voted against granting the President the authority to wage a unilateral war against Iraq. I felt it was important to act with our allies, allow weapons inspectors to continue their work, and ensure that the American people did not have to shoulder the burden of rebuilding Iraq alone.

Once again, thank you for your thoughtful letter. Please know that I will continue to work hard on this important issue.

Sincerely,

Barbara Boxer
United States Senator

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