Dear Senators:

I urge you to impeach President Bush, Vice President Cheney, Secretary Rumsfeld, and Secretary Ashcroft.

President Bush and his advisors have made their determination clear to launch a needless war because of a lie. In his address last night, the President lied to the people of America and the world when he said that Iraqi tyrant Saddam Hussein has ties to Al-Qaeda. Although Saddam Hussein is a murderous dictator, he certainly has nothing to do with Osama Bin Laden's terrorist network. Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden are enemies; Bin Laden has sold weapons for ten years to the Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq who are fighting against Saddam Hussein.

America must not send our soldiers to die in a needless war against Iraq. Instead, we must continue our policy of containment and weapons inspections. This policy has been successful since the last Gulf War. (Saddam Hussein has not invaded anyone lately, has he?) We must not defy the United Nations and world opinion by hypocritically starting a war.

President Bush is a dangerous war-monger who is determined to launch a war that will, no doubt, result in the deaths of thousands, including American soldiers. He must be stopped from this disastrous course, and the only remaining way to do this is to impeach him.

How can impeachment be justified?

* President Bush has declared his intention to use nuclear arms, a reversal of American policy since the end of World War II;

* He has declared that he will violate the Constitutional rights of the accused to be formally charged and consult a lawyer if he designates them, at his discretion, as "enemy combatants";

* He has unilaterally withdrawn from the Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty with Russia, a cornerstone of nuclear deterrence;

* He has rushed the United States into war with Iraq in defiance of the United Nations and without exhausting other means to disarm Saddam Hussein;

* He has declared that he will attack Iraq at his discretion, becoming the first President in American history to unilaterally start a war. This is in defiance of the Constitution, which gives Congress that responsibility.

President Bush's rush to war defies world opinion and the beliefs of the American people. His intended conquest of Iraq plays into the hands of the Al-Qaeda terrorists, who wish to portray America as the enemy of Islam. Since most Iraqis are Muslim, the President is far more likely to trigger terrorist attacks against America than he is to prevent them.

President Bush stands poised to send hundreds of American troops to their deaths, and Saddam Hussein will doubtlessly hide behind thousands of Iraqi civilians rather than leave power.

Saddam Hussein must be charged with crimes against humanity for his slaughter of Iraqi citizens, and with war crimes for his attacks on Iran and Kuwait. He must be removed from power, either by his own people, or by his neighbors (such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Syria). But Saddam Hussein must be removed by other Arabs; this is not our war to fight.

Congress impeached President Clinton for perjury in a civil case regarding his adultery, a matter which was not related to his conduct as President. If Congress will impeach a President for that, Congress can certainly move to stop President Bush in his drive to kill American soldiers in a pointless war.

If Congress will not impeach the President, Congress must, at the very least, vote to rescind his war powers.

Senator, the hour is now. As a resident of California, I have been proud to have you as my representative. I call upon you to act now to impeach the President and save American lives. In less than two years, the American people will cast their votes for a new President and Congress. America will doubtlessly vote down anyone who sent America's sons and daughters to die in an immoral war, and America will also vote out anyone who sat by and did nothing as President Bush did this.

Sincerely,

C. Colvin