Bush appeal to U.N. praised by Mainers

WASHINGTON – Members of Maine’s congressional delegation were pleased that President Bush sought support for dealing with Iraq from the international community in his Thursday address to the United Nations. The delegation found his willingness to work with both the world body and Congress a step in the right direction toward reform.

“Today, President Bush forcefully and definitively framed how [Iraqi leader] Saddam Hussein’s regime has systematically flouted 16 separate U.N. Security Council resolutions and international law over the past decade,” said Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe in a statement after the address.

Snowe said the president’s speech to the U.N. General Assembly begins a “vital dialogue” between the United Nations and Congress that will help shape future action.

“It is important he [Bush] continue consulting with our allies, Congress and the American people as he develops a case for a possible strike against Iraq,” Republican Sen. Susan Collins said in a statement. “The president needs to make a compelling case, and this was another important step in that process.”

Democratic Rep. Tom Allen said in a press release, “It’s a positive development rightly reiterating that Saddam is a brutal dictator who has defied U.N. resolutions and desires weapons of mass destruction.”

Allen, who is on the House Armed Services Committee, said he has been in recent classified meetings where he has raised questions about evidence of direct and urgent threats to the United States and about what might happen if Hussein is removed.

“We have time to consider all the policy options and to work in concert with the international community,” he said.

Democratic Rep. John Baldacci agreed with Allen, saying in a press release, “This work needs to move forward in a timely manner, but it must be given an opportunity to succeed. Congressional backing, public support and multilateral cooperation will strengthen our efforts to deal with Saddam Hussein.”

Overall, members of the delegation praised President Bush in his efforts to bring the United Nations together to bring down Hussein.

“I applaud the president for calling on the Security Council to enforce all of its resolutions and demand that Saddam Hussein comply,” Snowe said. “As U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan himself said, ‘There is no substitute for the unique legitimacy of the U.N. in international matters.'”