November 2, 2007 (LPAC)--Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) sent a letter yesterday to President Bush, which was signed by 29 other Senators--including Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY), stressing that the Administration does not have the legal authority to attack Iran without congressional approval.

At the same time, Democratic Presidential Candidate Bill Richardson, Governor of New Mexico, issued a statement entitled "Stop the Insanity: No War With Iran." Richardson denounces the "saber-rattling" against Iran by the Bush-Cheney Administration, as a "tried and true method of laying the groundwork for another war--a war that would be a disaster for the Middle East, for the United States and for the world."

The following is the full text of the Senators' letter:

Dear President Bush:

We are writing to express serious concerns with the provocative statements and actions stemming from your administration with respect to possible U.S. military action in Iran. These comments are counterproductive and undermine efforts to resolve tensions with Iran through diplomacy.

We wish to emphasize that no congressional authority exists for unilateral military action against Iran. This includes the Senate vote on September 26, 2007 on an amendment to the FY 2008 National Defense Authorization Act. This amendment, expressing the sense of the Senate on Iran, and the recent designation of the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, should in no way be interpreted as a predicate for the use of military force in Iran.

We stand ready to work with your administration to address the challenges presented by Iran in a manner that safeguards our security interests and promotes a regional diplomatic solution, but we wish to emphasize that offensive military action should not be taken against Iran without the express consent of Congress.

Signed by: Akaka, Baucus, Boxer, Brown, Byrd, Cantwell, Carper, Casey, Clinton, Dodd, Dorgan, Durbin, Feinstein, Harkin, Johnson, Kerry, Klobuchar, Kohl, Leahy, McCaskill, Mikulski, Murray, Reed, Rockefeller, Sanders, Stabenow, Tester, Webb, Whitehouse, Wyden.