Bush tells Congress to act against Saddam

President George Bush prodded Congress today to “act now” and give him the go-ahead to confront the threat from Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

Speaking after a Cabinet meeting, he said, “Congress must act now to pass a resolution which will hold Saddam Hussein to account for a decade of defiance.”

“We shouldn’t deceive ourselves about this man,” the president said. “He has poisoned his people before. He has poisoned his neighbourhood. He is willing to use weapons of mass destruction.”

Many Democratic congressmen have voiced reservations about the draft resolution Bush sent them last Thursday allowing him to “use all means,” including force, to deal with Saddam.

They are uneasy about unilateral action if the United Nations does not require Iraq to disarm and wary about a provision to extend the president’s authority to cover regional peace and security.

“My constituents are shocked at seeing the direction America is going,” said Dennis Kucinich, who is leading House of Representatives opposition.

Democratic Senator Russ Feingold said the administration “is asking for the moon without giving us serious information and then calling those who don’t support them do-nothings.”

Congressmen are trying to reach a compromise on language of the resolution by the end of this week and complete votes in the Republican-controlled House and Democratic-controlled Senate next week.

Bush also dismissed harsh criticism by former Vice President Al Gore of the administration’s push for action against Saddam, suggesting that Gore is out of step with other leading Democratic figures.

“I believe you’ll see as we work to get a strong resolution out of Congress that a lot of Democrats are willing to take the lead in keeping the peace,” the president said.

The State Department, meanwhile, announced that it had concluded that President Leonid Kuchma of Ukraine approved the sale of a radar system to Iraq in violation of UN sanctions.

An analysis of a recording made in July 2000 by a presidential bodyguard “has led us to re-examine our policy toward Ukraine, in particularly toward President Kuchma,” spokeswoman Lynn Cassel said.