Date: Fri, 20 Sep 2002 06:13:48 -0400 (EDT)
Message-Id: <200209201013.GAA06626@multics.mit.edu>
From: belmonte@MIT.EDU (Matthew Belmonte)
To: john_kerry@kerry.senate.gov (John Kerry),
        senator@kennedy.senate.gov (Ted Kennedy),
        CapuanoHR8@aol.com (Mike Capuano)
Subject: oppose war on Iraq

President Bush has asked Congress for a resolution of support for war against
Iraq.  I strongly oppose the approval of such blanket executive authority to
make war, since no evidence has been given that Iraq presents an especial
threat.  If Bush has any evidence that Iraq possesses or is close to possessing
weapons of mass destruction, he should present that evidence to Congress, the
American people, and the world as justification for war.

Parts of President Bush's recently released National Security Strategy reveals
that his administration has at last discovered the existence of diplomacy.  We
can only hope that he will live up to that strategy's commitment to act,
through dialogue, cultural exchange, and vigorous foreign aid, to abolish the
conditions that breed resentment of the United States.  If President Bush were
to receive Congressional assent for his war, I wonder whether he and his
administration would be as eager to support the long and expensive task of
rebuilding a democratic Iraq as they are to destroy its current regime.

Although Saddam Hussein and his regime are oppressive and despicable, if the
United States were to make war on every oppressive dictatorship, or even just
every oppressive dictatorship in the Middle East, the United States would be at
war for a very long time.  Again, I urge you to oppose any measure of approval
for war against Iraq.

Matthew Belmonte
[address]