The following is a fictitious news story. Or is it?
Jan. 31, 2007: By unanimous vote, the two Houses of Congress passed today a joint "sense of Congress" resolution directing President Bush to "launch nuclear strikes against any non-nuclear-weapon state that undertakes military programs or operations that threaten US interests or those of allies and friends".
The passage of the joint resolution followed a series of appropriation bills enacted by Congress to fund the development, building and deployment of nuclear earth penetrators (so-called "bunker busters") of a wide range of yields, with the ability to destroy targets of adversary non-nuclear nations that are "able to withstand non-nuclear attack" , particularly UGF's ("underground facilities for military purposes").
The text of the resolution emphasizes the importance ascribed by Congress to launch strikes as soon as possible, to "demonstrate US intent and capability to use nuclear weapons to deter adversary use of WMD".
"The reason we restricted the bill to non-nuclear-weapon-state targets is simple", explained the House and Senate speakers in a joint press conference: "launching a nuclear strike against a nuclear nation would invite nuclear retaliation against us, and that is not something the American people would stand for."
The bill points out that "integrating conventional and nuclear attacks will ensure the most efficient use of force", remarked the Chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and the Chair of the Budget Committee added: "Americans want to know that their hard-earned tax dollars are not used in wasteful ways".
Several Congressmembers emphasized that the urgency in passing the bill stemmed from the desire of Congress that President Bush launches nuclear strikes against Iran at the earliest possible time. "We know that Iran is a non-nuclear-weapon state, it has been certified by the International Atomic Energy Agency", explained the speaker of the House. "So it falls under our resolution, hence there is no reason whatosever for the President to wait any longer."
The new law incorporates the provisions of H.R. 6198 passed last year, "To hold the current regime in Iran accountable for its threatening behavior and to support a transition to democracy in Iran". "We passed that Act to encourage the President to follow the same path as he did with Iraq, what's taking him so long?", complained the House minority leader. "Vice-President Cheney said recently "There's no reason in the world why Iran needs to continue to pursue nuclear weapons", so our resolution will ensure that Iran stops."
"What we are asking the President is to act preemptively in exercising our inherent right of self defense", added the Senate whip. "There will always be some uncertainty about the status of hidden programs, and we cannot remain idle while dangers gather. The reasons for our actions will be clear, the force measured, and the cause just."
Added the House speaker: "The President has said ' The United States will not resort to force in all cases to preempt emerging threats'. Congress disagrees, we and the American people feel there should be no exceptions. That's why we have taken it upon ourselves to exercise our constitutionally assigned duties to legislate this issue for the national interest."
A beaming President Bush signed the joint resolution into law, and added the following signing statement: "Every one of the provisions of this law was already covered in the Nuclear Posture Review that I submitted to Congress in 2001, in the 2005 Pentagon Doctrine for Joint Nuclear Operations that Secretary Rumsfeld produced under my direction, in the National Security Strategy that I proclaimed in 2002 and 2006, and in a myriad of Presidential Directives that I issued over the past 6 years including the deployment of B61-11 nuclear bunker busters. I have publicly announced that the the option of a nuclear strike against Iran is on the table, and that the diplomatic effort vis-a-vis Iran must succeed if confrontation is to be avoided, and have carried out all necessary steps, including refusing to talk to Iran, capturing Iranian diplomats, increasing the deployment of our military forces in the Persian Gulf and securing UN sanctions against Iran's activities allowed by the NPT, to ensure that the diplomatic effort will fail. Consequently there was absolutely no need for Congress to pass this resolution. If Congress had disagreed with any of my actions they should have passed a different bill. Nevertheless, I am happy to know that it provided an excuse for Congressmembers to feel they earned their paycheck".
This resolution was not passed by Congress, but President Bush has the legal authority to carry out its provisions without consulting Congress. If Congressmembers do not believe such actions are in the best interest of the American people they purportedly represent, they should pass legislation to make the actions described in this resolution an impeachable offense.
Ask your Congressperson to pass legislation as proposed in http://www.geocities.com/jorgehirsch/nuclear/nuclearbill.html
--By Jorge Hirsch, a Professor of Physics at the University of California at San Diego, a fellow of the American Physical Society, and organizer of a recent petition, circulated among leading physicists, opposing the new nuclear weapons policies adopted by the US in the past 5 years.
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