[pjw] NEWS: Senate votes to repeal Iraq War authorizations

[Peace and Justice Works]

Iraq Affinity Group supporters

The US Senate voted today to  to repeal the authorizations for the 1991 
and 2003 wars on Iraq. I had to poke around to find the vote count, which 
was 66-30.

If this passes in the House (hard to say), it will mark the formal end of 
hostilities... but the US will still have 2500 troops in Iraq (and 900 in 
Syria), engaged in more than just "training" operations. And we'll still 
have the world's largest embassy there as a relic of the illegal invasion 
and occupation.

But it's a step in the right direction.

dan handelman
peace and justice works iraq affinity group

  https://thehill.com/policy/defense/3923850-senate-passes-bill-to-repeal-iraq-war-authorizations/
Senate votes to repeal Iraq war authorizations
    by [110]Brad Dress and [111]Al Weaver - 03/29/23 12:38 PM ET

    The Senate on Wednesday voted to repeal a pair of Authorizations for
    Use of Military Force (AUMF) with bipartisan support, taking a step
    toward closing the door on the Iraq War 20 years after it started.

    Senators voted 66-30 to officially repeal the 1991 authorization for
    the Gulf War and the 2002 AUMF that opened the door to the Iraq War the
    following March.

    Senate passage means all eyes are now on the House, where a bill to
    repeal the two AUMFs has been introduced but has yet to advance out of
    committee. Speaker Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) and other Republicans have
    signaled support for the legislation, or at least interest in a debate
    on the issue.

    The process in the Senate was a lengthy one. The chamber has spent the
    past week voting on a series of related and unrelated amendments.

    Sens. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.), who co-sponsored the
    bill and have emerged as major champions of the repeals in Congress,
    argue Iraq is now a strategic ally of the U.S. in the Middle East and
    that repealing the AUMFs sends a signal of support to the nation.

    In remarks ahead of the final vote, Kaine said Congress "rushed" into
    the Iraq War, with the 2002 authorization pending for just three days
    before Senate approval, compared to the two weeks of debate this month
    on ending the war authorizations.

    "We have given dramatically more time in this body to the question of
    whether to end wars than ... was given to the momentous question of
    whether we should start a war," he said. "That is a lesson we should
    all absorb and learn from."

    The AUMF repeal has also garnered significant support among
    organizations representing veterans and service members, including the
    American Legion, as Iraq War veterans seek closure for a war that cost
    the lives of more than 4,000 U.S. troops.

    The Gulf War ended in 1991 after a quick deployment of U.S. troops to
    repel an Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. The Iraq War ended in 2011, when
    U.S. forces withdrew from the nation.

    While the U.S. withdrew from Iraq more than a decade ago, the 2002 AUMF
    has been utilized in recent years. Former President Trump cited it when
    he ordered the missile strike that killed Iranian General Qasem
    Soleimani three years ago.

    Part of the push to repeal the legislation is centered on reasserting
    congressional war authority and providing a legislative check on the
    executive department as mandated by the Constitution.

    Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) praised both Kaine and Young for pushing the
    legislation through the Senate in a years-long effort.

    "This bill is going to become the law of the land, Congress is going to
    take back its constitutional responsibility over the power to declare
    war and to put our troops in harm's way," Warner said. "But this debate
    wouldn't even have been still alive, still vibrant, still forcing us to
    do our job without the relentless, tireless work of a great public
    servant, a great Virginian, a great American, my friend Tim Kaine."

    Detractors of the repeal, however, argue that the AUMF should remain on
    the books as a tool to fight Iranian aggression. A number of the
    amendment votes were related to Iran, which has backed militia groups
    in Syria that have assaulted U.S. bases, including a drone attack last
    week that injured several troops and killed one American contractor.

    Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who has been absent
    from the Senate in recent weeks amid recovery from a concussion and a
    fractured rib, panned doing away with the AUMFs with Iran in mind,
    especially after the recent drone strike.

    "Our enemies in Iran who have spent two decades targeting and killing
    Americans in the Middle East would be delighted to see America dial
    down our military presence, authorities, and activities in Iraq," he
    said. "Tehran wants to push us out of Iraq and Syria. Why should
    Congress make that easier?"

    The repeal bill now heads to the House, where McCarthy has indicated he
    supports overturning the pair of AUMFs. The GOP leader told reporters
    last week during the House Republicans' retreat in Orlando that he's
    "into it."

    "I don't have a problem repealing that," McCarthy said, adding that he
    would not vote for any bill that includes a repeal of a 2001 AUMF,
    passed in the wake of the deadly 9/11 attacks to combat global
    terrorism.

    The legislation in the House and Senate does not include a repeal of
    the 2001 AUMF.