A 'sense of Congress' resolution has no legally binding effect. It is meant only to express the opinion of a majority of Congress.
HCON 101 IH
108th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. CON. RES. 101 Expressing the sense of the Congress that Public Law 107-243, the authorization to use military force against Iraq, is null and void.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 19, 2003 Mr. KUCINICH submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION Expressing the sense of the Congress that Public Law 107-243, the authorization to use military force against Iraq, is null and void.
Whereas on the eve of an unprovoked military attack by the United States against the country of Iraq, the public is learning that the Administration's rationale for commencing hostilities is based on a series of claims that are untrue, unfounded, dubious, or disproven;
Whereas many of these ill-founded allegations were highlighted in a March 18, 2003, story in the Washington Post titled, `Bush Clings To Dubious Allegations About Iraq', or in the March 3, 2003, edition of Newsweek magazine;
Whereas on the Administration's contention that Iraq poses a nuclear threat, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Mohamed El Baradei, has said that there is no evidence of resumed nuclear activities in Iraq;
Whereas key evidence supporting the allegation of an Iraqi nuclear program has been exposed as a forgery;
Whereas the Washington Post's March 18 story notes also that `El Baradei also contradicted Bush and other officials who argued that Iraq had tried to purchase high-strength aluminum tubes to use in centrifuges for uranium enrichment. The IAEA determined that Iraq did not plan to use imported aluminum tubes for enriching uranium and generating nuclear weapons. El Baradei argued that the tubes were for conventional weapons and `it was highly unlikely' that the tubes could have been used to produce nuclear material';
Whereas on the Administration's contention that Iraq has ties to al-Qaeda and potential to share weapons of mass destruction with al-Qaeda, the Washington Post article states, `But in October CIA Director George J. Tenet told Congress that Hussein would not give such weapons to terrorists unless he decided helping terrorists in conducting a WMD [weapons of mass destruction] attack against the United States would be his last chance to exact vengeance by taking a large number of victims with him';
Whereas on the Administration's contention that Iraq poses a threat to its neighbors, the Washington Post article of March 18 reports: `Inspectors have found that the Al Samoud-2 missiles can travel less than 200 miles--not far enough to hit the targets Bush named. Iraq has not accounted for 14 medium-range Scud missiles from the 1991 Persian Gulf War, but the administration has not presented any evidence that they still exist';
Whereas on the Administration's contention that Iraq possesses weapons of mass destruction, the March 3, 2003, edition of Newsweek reported that Iraqi defector Lt. Gen. Hussein Kamel told United Nations inspectors that Iraq had destroyed its chemical and biological weapons and banned missiles; and
Whereas as a Nation, the United States does not have grounds for launching a war against a country that poses no imminent or direct threat to us or our allies: Now, therefore be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That it is the sense of the Congress that Public Law 107-243, the authorization to use military force against Iraq, passed by the Congress on October 11, 2002, and signed by the President on October 16, 2002, is null and void.
