Lawmakers in Two States Urge Diplomacy
State lawmakers in Maine and Hawaii, along with about 90 town, city and county governments, have passed resolutions asking President Bush to rely on diplomacy, not war, to resolve the conflict with Iraq.
The state resolutions come from Democrat-led chambers -- Hawaii’s House and Maine’s House and Senate.
One state, South Carolina, has gone on record supporting the president. Its legislature is led by Republicans.
Foreign policy is decided in Washington, and state and local governments have no say in the Bush administration’s decisions.
Dozens of local government representatives from Chicago, Philadelphia and elsewhere held a news conference in Washington on Thursday. They said their resources were already stretched and that the country could not afford a war.
Their resolutions, in cities as far apart geographically and culturally as Baltimore, Des Moines and Berkeley, vary in emphasis -- some accusing Bush of failing to present a convincing case, others opposing preemptive strikes.
The state resolutions in Maine and Hawaii argue for diplomacy first, and they express support for American troops.
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