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White House Lawyers Say Strike on Iraq President's Decision
Aired August 26, 2002 - 14:34 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush is carefully considering his legal options on how to proceed with Iraq. White House lawyers have told the president he doesn't need congressional approval to strike Iraq.
CNN White House correspondent Kelly Wallace joins us now with more reaction.
So Kelly, does that mean the president has made a decision?
KELLY WALLACE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: No, Kyra. Very important point to make. The president has not made a decision. Number one, he has not made a decision about whether to pursue any military action against Iraq. And number two, he has not decided whether he will go to Congress for approval.
What the White House lawyers have looked at, a couple of things. Number one, under the Constitution, they believe the president as commander in chief has the authority to make military decisions. They are also looking at other things, such as the 1991 Persian Gulf Resolution passed by Congress, lawyers believing that gives the authority for the use of force against Iraq
But Ari Fleischer, the White House press secretary, speaking out a short time ago, saying legal issues alone will not decide this matter.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARI FLEISCHER, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The president knows that any decision he makes on a hypothetical congressional vote will be guided by more than one factor, more than legal factors alone. The president, if this were ever to come to this point, would consider a variety of legal, policy, historical factors in making up his mind about this if it again becomes a relevant matter.
In all cases, the president will consult with the Congress, because Congress has an important role to play.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALLACE: So Kyra, that consultations continuing. The president has not made a decision -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: I can imagine there is lots of political pressure taking place on the president, whether he should consult Congress or not. WALLACE: Exactly. You've heard lots of Democrats, even members of the president's own party, saying he definitely should come to Congress for approval, especially for any preemptive strike on Iraq.
And Kyra, if you look at the past as a guide of how this might all play out, the president's own father, former President Bush, his own lawyers told him back in 1990 and 1991 that he did not need legally to go to Congress for approval, but he ended up going to Congress, getting a resolution for the use of military attack on Iraq -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right, Kelly, you and I heard both Vice President Dick Cheney addressing the Veterans of Foreign Wars today. All he talked about was Iraq. Is he turning up the heat? Should we look at this as some sort of read between the lines?
WALLACE: Well, strong words. Turning up the heat, definitely. Also, the administration more and more trying to make the case for its goal of regime change. You know, Kyra, there has been a lot of concerns from U.S. allies, even concerns from U.S. lawmakers that this administration has not yet made the case for this. So we saw the vice president speaking out very strong words. He says Iraq has chemicals, biological weapons. He thinks this administration will need to do something to prevent Saddam Hussein from one day getting nuclear weapons.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: What he wants is time, and more time, to husband his resources to invest in his ongoing chemical and biological weapons program, and to gain possession of nuclear weapons. Should all his ambitions be realized, the implications would be enormous for the Middle East, for the United States, and for the peace of the world. The whole range of weapons of mass destruction would rest in the hands of the dictator who has already shown his willingness to use such weapons and has done so, both in his war with Iran and against his own people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALLACE: And Kyra, that is a message the president is likely to deliver to the Saudi government tomorrow. He sits down with the Saudi ambassador for the U.S., Faisal, who is coming to his Crawford, Texas, ranch, the president likely to convey that message that the Iraqi people and Iraq's neighbors would be better off with Saddam Hussein -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Kelly Wallace, thank you.
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