Reid says Iraq war would crush airlines

Benjamin Grove

Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2002 | 9:16 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- Airline officials are quietly telling lawmakers in Congress that a war with Iraq likely would deal a crushing blow to their hobbled industry, lawmakers said.

A group of executives making rounds on Capitol Hill huddled in a private meeting with Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., last week. They told him: "If there is a war in Iraq, we'll all go broke," Reid said today, recounting the conversation in comments on the Senate floor.

The airline officials said they are worried a war with Iraq could send fuel prices skyrocketing, said a source who was at the meeting. That's bad news for a state like Nevada that depends on airlines and tourists.

The airlines are already reeling from decreased passenger loads and higher fuel costs, Reid said in an interview today.

"The airline industry is having significant problems," Reid said.

Reid supports a war with Iraq if President Bush makes a compelling case for it, he has said. "I'm a hawk, not a dove," he said today.

But the No. 2 Senate Democrat has urged caution and opposed plunging into an attack in the immediate future. The effect a war would have on the airlines, the economy and the national budget are among the factors that should be carefully considered, he said.

On the floor, Reid quoted the Wall Street Journal, which reported that Bush's chief economic adviser Lawrence Lindsey estimated a war in Iraq could cost $200 billion.

Iraq's announcement that it would allow weapons inspectors back into the nation also must be cautiously measured, Reid said.

"If in fact the inspections are unfettered, I support them," Reid said. "If they are not unfettered, I support the president. We can't have Saddam playing with us."