20 Representatives Switch: Now Back UN, Diplomacy

One hundred eleven members of Congress signed the letter to President Bush. Of those, 20 voted for Bush’s war resolution in October 2002.

This letter reflects what could, with enough signatures, become a powerful position in Congress, uniting both those that voted for the president’s resolution, and those who voted against, and thereby slow President Bush’s headlong rush to launch a unilateral first-strike war against Iraq.

Here is the text of the letter and the signers:

January 24, 2003

Dear Mr. President,

On November 8, 2002, the United Nations Security Council unanimously endorsed a resolution designed to force Iraq to give up any weapons of mass destruction. We believe the U.S. should make every attempt to achieve Iraq’s disarmament through diplomatic means and with the full support of our allies, in accordance with the process articulated in UN Security Council resolution 1441.

The UN resolution calls for a tough new weapons inspection regime; it requires the government of Iraq to provide inspectors with immediate, unimpeded, unconditional, and unrestricted access, and requires that Iraq permit inspectors to interview officials, scientists, and other individuals as necessary to fulfill the mandate of the resolution. This is an inherently difficult task requiring patience and perseverance.

The report scheduled to be given by Chief UN weapons inspector Dr. Hans Blix and Director General Mohamed EI Baradei on January 27, 2003 will assess whether the United Nations Monitoring, Verification, and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) and International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) comprehensive mission is proceeding in the unobstructed and effective manner necessary to realize the aims of UN Security Council resolution 1441.

We encourage your Administration to sufficiently weigh future decisions regarding Iraq on the assessment given by UNMOVIC/IAEA, including additional inspection time and resources as appropriate. Your commitment to working through the UN Security Council and your vocal support for resolution 1441 are critical to UNMOVIC/IAEA’s eventual success.

In addition, we respectfully urge you to use the opportunity provided in the upcoming State of the Union Address to offer assurances both to the American people and the international community that the United States remains committed to the diplomatic approach and comprehensive inspections process agreed to in UN Security Council resolution 1441.

Thank you for your consideration, and we look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

List of signers:
* indicates Rep. voted for Bush War Resolution

Rep. Sherrod Brown (D-OH)

Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI)*

Rep. Robert Wexler (D-FL)*

Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX)

Additional Signers (as of 5:00 PM EST, January 23, 2003):

Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-FL)

Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR)

Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR)

Rep. Bernard Sanders (I-VT)

Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA)

Rep. Ted Strickland (D-OH)

Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY)

Rep. Jose Serrano (D-NY)

Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-NY)*

Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA)

Rep. William Delahunt (D-MA)

Rep. James Oberstar (D-MN)

Rep. F. Allen Boyd (D-FL)*

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA)*

Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA)

Rep. Brian Baird (D-WA)

Rep. James Moran (D-VA)

Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA)

Rep. S. Tubbs Jones (D-OH)

Rep. Diane Watson (D-CA)

Rep. David Price (D-NC)

Rep. William Clay (D-MO)

Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA)*

Rep. Ed Case (D-HI)

Rep. Eleanor Holmes-Norton (D-DC)

Rep. Corrine Brown (D-FL)

Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL)

Rep. Jesse Jackson (D-IL)

Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-CA)*

Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN)

Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH)

Rep. John Conyers (D-MI)

Rep. John Olver (D-MA)

Rep. Sam Farr (D-CA)

Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH)

Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-NY)

Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald (D-CA)

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA)

Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT)

Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)

Rep. James McGovern (D-MA)

Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA)

Rep. Michael McNulty (D-NY)*

Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY)*

Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA)

Rep. Thomas Allen (D-ME)

Rep. Melvin Watt (D-NC)

Rep. Marty Meehan (D-MA)*

Rep. Jim Davis (D-FL)*

Rep. Janice Schakowsky (D-IL)

Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX)

Rep. Karen McCarthy (D-MO)

Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY)

Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-HI)

Rep. Hilda Solis (D-CA)

Rep. Fortney Stark (D-CA)

Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY)

Rep. Albert Wynn (D-MD)*

Rep. Susan Davis (D-CA)

Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY)*

Rep. Benjamin Cardin (D-MD)

Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI)

Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ)

Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-CA)

Rep. Rick Larsen (D-WA)

Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ)*

Rep. Danny Davis (D-IL)

Rep. Darlene Hooley (D-OR)

Rep. Donald Payne (D-NJ)

Rep. Martin Sabo (D-MN)

Rep. Lois Capps (D-CA)

Rep. James Langevin (D-RI)

Rep. Michael Capuano (D-MA)

Rep. Jerry Kleczka (D-WI)

Rep. Lane Evans (D-IL)

Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH)

Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-NV)*

Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL)

Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ)

Rep. Major Owens (D-NY)

Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY)

Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY)

Rep. Bob Filner (D-CA)

Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA)*

Rep. Tom Udall (D-NM)

Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA)

Rep. Michael Honda (D-CA)

Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-CA)

Rep. Nick Rahall (D-WV)

Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-PA)

Rep. Rick Boucher (D-VA)*

Rep. John Lewis (D-GA)

Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX)

Rep. Joe Baca (D-CA)

Rep. Dale Kildee (D-MI)

Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA)

Rep. Kendrick Meek (D-FL)

Rep. Michael Michaud (D-ME)

Rep. Jay Inslee (D-WA)

Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD)

Rep. Richard Neal (D-MA)

Rep. Jim Matheson (D-UT)*

Rep. Robert Brady (D-PA)

Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY)

Rep. John Tierney (D-MA)

Rep. Joseph Hoeffel (D-PA)*

Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY)*

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