Nevada lawmakers say U.S. should attack

Benjamin Grove

Thursday, Sept. 12, 2002 | 10:59 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- Nevada congressional lawmakers today said the United States should attack Iraq, even if President Bush fails to rally United Nations support.

"Should the president present the case before the American public and we decide collectively that we have no other choice but to go it alone, then we would have to do that," Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., said. "But that would not be my first choice."

She said she hopes the United Nations would see clearly that Saddam Hussein must be ousted.

"The United Nations was created to stand up to bullies like Saddam Hussein," she said.

Berkley said she had no faith in weapons inspections, even if Hussein allowed them again.

Attacks on U.S. soil have been rare in the nation's history, and Berkley said lawmakers have no evidence that Iraq would launch any kind of attack against the United States. But there is no guarantee that Hussein would not "perpetrate and initiate" an attack, she said.

Debate about invading Iraq is ongoing in Congress. President Bush has said he would seek support from lawmakers.

Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., a Persian Gulf War Air Force pilot, agrees that the United States should act with or without the United Nations, Gibbons spokeswoman Amy Spanbauer said today. Gibbons was unavailable after Bush's speech.

"There is clear evidence that Iraq continues to develop weapons of mass destruction, including chemical, biological and nuclear weapons," Gibbons said in a written statement. "The world must hold Saddam Hussein responsible for his defiance, and we must do so before he unleashes one of these catastrophic weapons upon innocent civilians."

Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., also was immediately unavailable today. But spokeswoman Traci Scott said, "The senator has said on the record that he supports the president and that sometimes you have to stand on your own and take a leadership role."

The lawmakers agree the United States should do everything it can to secure U.N. backing.

Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., said America should attack without U.N. support only as a "total, total, total last resort."

"There is no rush in the sense that we have to do this tomorrow," Reid said.

Bush needs to work harder to make his case, Reid said. "To do that takes time," Reid said.

Hussein has no delivery system for any of his weapons of mass destruction, Reid said. Reid said the Iraqi leader was not close to being in a position to launch a missile that could reach the United States. He said that could take "forever."