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I 911- 17
W a r C o n t i n u e d Fr o m Pa ge 1
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~~~ords: D o n ' t B r o a d e n W a r A i m s
'. :,.,~" ,... , : negotiating last week, J effords said, it
~ _ .<.... ,,,:':),. might have made sense to declare a cease
r : } . ~ . ~ fire for 24 or 48 hours to see if the talks
w . . ., ~ .(.'/lijl~~~ would prove su~cess~l. But once Jeffords
,l .... ~:., . ;~~ .", ..ll heard .that I raqi soldiers were torturing
"':~ ':I ...~~, Kuw~l1tis,he was "not too upset" that
l~".~. Presidem George Bush launched the
# " '. ~, ground war.
"A lthough I would have preferred to
have .seen more negotiation, I'm not too
, sure I t would have been successful."
I That's what Ll.S. Sen. J ames J effords
R-Vt., said Monday in response to a Ve r !
mont Times survey of the state's congres-
sional delegation.
J effords, U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy D-
Vt., and U.S. Rep. Bernard Sanders: I -Vt.,
responded to a written questionnaire from
Ve r mo n t Ti me s and follow-up interviews
about their views on the war. The con-
gressmen were asked their opinions on
what United States war goals should be'
what they estimated the war's cost to be'
and how it should be paid; and what Con.
gress should do if public support for the
president's policy deteriorates.
While the Soviet Union and I raq were
Th e goal of the
fighting should be
N
Just to remove
Ir a q fr o m
Kuwait," not
capture Saddam
Hussein.
However, J effords said, the goal of the
fighting should be "just to remove I raq
from Kuwait," not capture I raqi President
Saddam Hussein. Once that is done
United Nations forces should be used to
patrol the border to prevent further in-
vasions.
As for what government should rule
Kuwait, "that should be up to the United
Nations. We're policemen, not judges or
legislators."
To find a more lasting solution, J effords
said it is imperative to prevent the strug-
gle between the rich and poor A rab
countries. "To me the biggest problem
over there iseconomic disparity .... AJ
though he's certsinly a madman in many
ways, Jeffords said of Hussein, "he cer-
tainly hit a responsive chord" when he ap-
pealed to the poor A rab countries by at-
tecking wealthy Kuwait.
Meanwhile in the United States, J ef-
fords said, "the military war may be over
... but the economic war is going full-
fledged .... I fwe don't get ourselves in
gear, we're going to be a second-rate
country."
I n addition to focusing on improved
education, J effords said the United States
must lessen its dependence upon oil. "I've
been ~ork.ingon a plan for several years,"
he said. The federal government's former
synthetic fuels program subsidized the dif-
ference between the cost of producing the
alternative energy and petroleum. "I 'he
problem is that's all government cost." Jer
fords said his approach would be to re-
quire the energy industry to increase its
non-oil fuel sources by 1percent every
year for 10years. That way, although the
cost will be borne by consumers, there will
be a real market for alternative energy.
S a n d e r s : W h y a G r o u n d W a r W h e n P e a c e W a s N e a r ?
"My major concern was the United Na-
tions, which ostensibly is the institution
whose resolutions are being implemented,
was in the midst of a discussion of how
they could reconcile the Soviet and I raqi
proposals (for peace) ... in the midst of
that discussion, Bush began the war."
The United States should not try to cap-
ture Hussein, Sanders said. "Saddam Hus-
sein is a very dangerous and vicious die-
tater, But it seems to me what this war is
about ... is to get Saddam Hussein and
I raq out of Kuwait."
A lthough he'd prefer to have United
Nations forces take over once the fighting
stops, Sanders said the war underscores .
the shortcomings of the UN. ''The UN has
failed in what its major task should be - :
to prevent war. I have a real fear that the
region is not going to be more peaceful or
more stable after the wa r ."
To make the area more peaceful,
Sanders said, the issues that need to be
resolved are the Israeli-Palestinian con-
flict, the strife between rich and poor
countries, and the lack of democracies in
such powers as Saudi A rabia and Syria.
I n Kuwait, he said, "the U.S. should do
what it can to promote democracy." .-
Sanders also is pessimistic about avoid-
ing future wars because Congress is
losing its foreign policy-making powers to
the "imperial presidency."
''The Congress has very little to say on
any of this, this is one of the major prob-
lems .... Mr . Bush's agenda i s , i n fact, to
continue these types of wars." To stop
that, Sanders said more Progressives
should be elected to Congress. "We need a
political revolution."
Bernard Sanders
L e a h y : Th e D i e i s C a s t
"I voted against authorizing President
Bush to go to war in the Per;'ian Gulf. I
preferred giving the economI c and diplo-
matic sanctions time to work.
"But Congress had a lengthy and
thorough debate, and voted to give the
president the authority to go to war; That
vote is history. I join all A mericans I nfull
support of our men and women W ? O must
nOWcarry out the mission authOrized by
.CQngress.Md.the presI dent.
" Saddam Hussein leads t h e wa r a s he
has led his country - ruthleesly, brutally,
and without concern for human rights,
world opinion or his own people.
"Ir a q's with-
drawalfrom
Kuwait could
bring an end to
the war almost
immediately. "
"The cost of this war, estimated by
some at up to $1 billion a day, should not
be hidden from the public. The best way
to keep the public apprised of the cost is
to fund the U.S. part through a special
pay-as-you-go tax that will end when the
war ends. A dding the cost to the national
debt counters our pledge to balance the
budget and is irresponsible. We should be
pressing our allies to do more, and our
chances improve if the public understends
the huge cost that the United States is
now bearing alone.
''The war should not stop efforts to
bring hostilities to a quick end. The
United Nations has a role in providing
diplomatic options.
"One of those options - Iraq's with-
drawal from Kuwait - could bring an end
to the war almost immediately. The over-
whelming majority of the A merican people
strongly support our men and women in
the Gulf.
''1have spent time with too many young
Vermonters going to war in the last few
months not to know that the pride of their
families is mixed with sorrow, anxiety and
fear for their safety.
"I hope our mission is quickly com-
pleted, our men and women brought
home, and they are replaced by an A rab
or United Nations peacekeeping force.
"That rests with the diplomats, whoshould
work for peace with the same vigor that
we are now pursuing to win the war." -