Agenda Identification: The War in Iraq
In the Fall of 2002, United States President George W. Bush asked the Congress to pass a resolution approving the use of military force in Iraq if diplomatic efforts to disarm Iraq failed. The U.S. Congress responded to that request with an overwhelming positive vote. On Wednesday, March 19, 2003 at 10:15 PM Eastern Standard Time, President Bush announced to the nation and the world that a U.S.-led war against Iraq was underway. Hours before the war began, the president formally notified Congress of his decision, stating that he had exhausted peaceful means to disarm Iraq.
This issue û U.S. military activity against the regime of Saddam Hussein û has been an important presidential, Congressional, and media issue for over a year. President Bush identified Iraq, along with North Korea and Iran, as a rogue state sponsoring terrorist activities that have damaged the United States. Consequently, he asked Congress to grant him the power to invade Iraq if needed, thus skirting Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution that grants only to Congress, the authority to declare war.
The issue is of significance in that it represents a shift in American foreign policy as well as the emergence of a new doctrine known as coercive pre-emption. The issue has been extensively debated in Congress, on television, and in the popular press. This issue speaks to the balance of power and checks and balances and will define American foreign policy in the coming years.
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