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Byrd asks if war resolution is still valid

The 2002 congressional resolution that granted President Bush the power to invade Iraq contains some very specific language: enforce all relevant United Nations sanctions regarding Iraq, and defend the nation against the “continuing threat posed by Iraq.”

That’s old news, says Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va. And he tried during a Senate hearing Wednesday to get Bush’s defense secretary to admit it.

“Since the government of Iraq that is referred to in the resolution no longer exists, having been replaced by a democratically elected one, do you agree that this authorization no longer applies to the ongoing conflict in Iraq?” Byrd asked Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who appeared before the Senate defense appropriations subcommittee to request funds for fiscal 2008.

Gates didn’t take the bait. “I think the honest answer, Senator Byrd, is that I don’t know the answer to that question.”

“That’s really honest,” replied Byrd, who along with Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., is leading a move to force a vote on rescinding the 2002 resolution. “Therefore, if you don’t know the answer, how does it apply if you don’t know the answer?”

Said Gates, “Well, sir, my impression is that it’s the view of the president that it still continues to authorize the actions that we are taking in Iraq.”

In a statement released later, Byrd said that while he found Gates’ candor “refreshing, I’m troubled by his answer. If the secretary of defense doesn’t know what legislation is guiding his operations in Iraq, perhaps it is time for President Bush to take another look at what is really happening in Iraq.”