The political issue many incumbent members of U.S. Congress had been praying would materialize before the November elections has arrived with guns blazing.
Thursday morning bore witness to President Bush presenting his Iraq Resolution, which outlines the commander in chief's wishes to gain full congressional support for the use of military force in Iraq.
Accompanied by Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of State Colin Powell, Bush met several queries concerning the various points of his Iraq Resolution in the Oval Office. The most pressing matters included Bush's positions on the U.N. Security Council, the extent of the power he seeks from Congress and his views on Saddam Hussein and the Iraqi people.
While Bush cited the need for cooperation between the United States and the United Nations in handling Iraq, the president made it clear that he will forge ahead against Hussien and his followers if the Security Council drops the ball in any way.
\If the United Nations Security Council won't deal with the problem, the United States and some of our friends will,"" Bush said.
While Bush did not specify who any of ""our friends"" are, he said he was quite optimistic that several other nations will be on board if the decision is made to bypass the United Nations and attack Iraq.
""I think you're going to see that a lot of nations love freedom. They understand the threat,"" Bush said.
When questioned whether he was asking Congress for a ""blank check"" in terms of military and policy power, Bush responded that he had asked for Congress' support for peace.
""If you want to keep the peace, you've got to have the authorization to use force,"" Bush said. ""It's a chance for Congress to say 'we support the administration's ability to keep the peace.' That's what this is all about.""
Both sides of the congressional aisle received the resolution with cautious fanfare and most agreed that Bush would get his proposal adopted in late October after lengthy debate.
""We don't want to be a rubber stamp,"" said Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., adding that now was the time for unity not division.
The biggest congressional roadblock is timing, according to U.S. Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., who added that ""quick, bipartisan congressional action"" is the best defense against any political positioning. Edwards added that he felt a resolution from Congress should be decisive and clear, but not a free giveaway of power.
""[The resolution] should not be a blank check for the administration, but neither should it micromanage a war from Capitol Hill,"" Edwards said. ""It should spell out the broad elements of a process that will preserve the legitimacy of American actions, enhance international consensus and strengthen our global leadership.""
U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, echoed Edwards' sentiments, but added that war should be a last resort.
""Absent an imminent threat, we must exhaust our other tools before hauling out the machinery of death and destruction,"" Baldwin said.
In a message read Thursday to the U.N. General Assembly, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein asked for the United Nations to resist Bush's goal of garnering its support for a military strike on Iraq and said his country ""is clear of all nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.""
Both Russia and France, two permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, have expressed reservations about any possible military action against Iraq.
While extending an invitation to U.N. weapons inspectors, scientists and any other foreign governmental officials, Hussein said Iraq and the United Nations would have to reach a ""balanced formula"" regarding inspections.
""[The United Nations] must reassure Iraq with regard to its security, sovereignty, territorial integrity and its right to choosing its own way with out interference,"" Hussein said.
