“Pre-emptive War” means to initiate (begin) a war before someone else does it. (emphasis mine) I have abbreviated the following.

Information Clearing House  By Jamal Abdi   Posted Oct. 13, 2012

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) is planning to press the Senate next month to pledge U.S. troops, money, and political support to Israel should Bibi Netanyahu launch a preventive war on Iran.

Graham’s planned measure would outsource the decision about whether the U.S. goes to war to the Israeli prime minister, pledging that if Bibi decides to act, the U.S. will provide money, troops, and political leverage regardless of the consequences and our (USA’s) own calculations. 

Those who support the measure will likely claim that a “credible threat” of war must be issued in order to prevent an actual war.

As chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey pointedly said just weeks ago about potential Israeli strikes on Iran, “I don’t want to be complicit (a partner in wrongdoing) if they decide to do it.” Graham’s resolution is about as clear a signal of complicity (wrongdoing) as you can get.

Graham’s mendacity (false, untrue regarding) Iran policy should by now be notorious. His most recent victory was to convince Congress to endorse Netanyahu’s redline for war with Iran instead of the redline laid out by the president.

The president very clearly rejected that redline and said the U.S redline was to prevent Iran from actually getting the bomb, not getting an amorphous “capability.”

Now, Graham is herding his wilfully ignorant colleagues to support another incremental step towards war with Iran, under the guise of being “pro-Israel” and supporting the president. (Senator Lindsey Graham on left)

His new resolution would twist Obama’s words that the U.S. “has Israel’s back” to mean the U.S. is on call to jump into war with Iran if, and when, Netanyahu decides it’s go time.

Having Israel’s back does not mean supporting preventive war that the entire (USA) national security establishment says would be a disaster for everyone involved…

The Senate should not be handing out promises to enable foreign leaders to decide whether and when the U.S. goes to war. This would not be a mutual defense pact — it would be a suicide pact!

Source: http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article32733.htm