White House seeks approval on Iraq policy by recess

Even as administration officials vow cooperation with congressional inquiries into the wisdom of military action against Iraq, the White House Friday insisted that even careful consideration must be completed before Congress recesses next month.

Bush "is confident" that Congress has the "time to do this well and to do it right, and that they will," White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer said Friday.

Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., has counseled careful consideration, and has so far not committed to voting on a resolution of support for military action this fall. Daschle believes "it is more important to do it right than to do it quickly," a Daschle spokeswoman said, noting the process has "just begun." Daschle Thursday said it "would be difficult for us to move" until Bush has provided more information about the threat and secured international support for military action.

"It does sound a little bit odd that the United States Congress would say the U.S. Congress cannot represent the American people on a vote until the United Nations represents other people from other nations on a vote," Fleischer quipped.

The White House Friday again asserted that Congress already went on record supporting a policy of removing Saddam Hussein from power by approving the Iraqi Liberation Act of 1998.

"The basis on which Congress-Democrats and Republicans and the president-start these discussions is our joint policy that the threat needs to be removed, that the regime needs to be changed," Fleischer said. "Now ... there is a legitimate discussion about the best means to accomplish regime change."

The act, while supporting efforts to remove Saddam from power, also states that "nothing in this Act shall be construed to authorize or otherwise speak to the use of United States Armed forces ... in carrying out this act."