To the Point

Legality, Constitutionality of Bush-s Pre-Emptive War

President Bush today formally notified Congress that diplomacy has failed to -protect the national security- against -the threat posed by Iraq.- Now, the world waits for the President to designate the -time of his choosing- for the US to begin its -pre-emptive- war. However, as tanks are rolling and bombs are about to fall, the legality of this military action is still being called into question. Is it legal for the United States to make war on Iraq? Press Secretary Ari Fleischer today said it is. We talk about international law, the rules of the United Nations and the US Constitution with journalists, law experts, a former strategic planner for the National Security Council, an advisor to the Reagan and Bush, Sr. administrations, and Democratic Congressman Howard Berman of California. Making News: Update on Iraq One of the early rumors has been put to rest. Iraq-s Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz has not defected. To prove the point, he held a televised press conference today in Baghdad. Watching all these events unfold is Andrew Koch, Washington bureau chief for Jane-s Defence Weekly. Koch reports on initial stages of military action in Iraq and the search for Saddam Hussein. Reporter's Notebook: Gore Vidal on Bush, History, and the Prospects of War Gore Vidal is a novelist, historian, a cousin of former Vice President Al Gore, and one of America-s most caustic commentators. At 77, he-s about to be profiled on PBS- American Masters series. His newest book, Dreaming War: Blood for Oil and the Cheney-Bush Junta, is a series of essays. Vidal puts the current Bush administration into historical context and speaks about the prospects of war.