Bush to brief senior Congressmen on Iraq attack plans

President George Bush, answering demands to know his intentions toward Iraq, has invited the congressional leadership to a White House briefing today.

The president’s meeting with top Democratic and Republican - including leaders of the Intelligence, Armed Services and International Relations committees - comes amid increasing signals that Bush is ready to go public with a fuller picture of what he knows about Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s weapons capabilities.

Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who was going to Congress today to provide closed-door “operational updates” on the war on terrorism, said the administration had secret information supporting its claims that Saddam is close to developing nuclear weapons and must be overthrown.

Rumsfeld said it is already publicly known that Iraq wants to acquire nuclear weapons, that nuclear technologies have spread in recent years and that Iraq has ways of obtaining such materials.

“And we know some other things, but those are the kinds of things that would come out if and when the president decides that he thinks it’s appropriate,” Rumsfeld said. “I’ll leave that for the coming days and weeks.”

Secretary of State Colin Powell, in South Africa for a United Nations summit, similarly suggested that Bush was nearing a decision - if not on his course of action against Saddam, then a more detailed indictment of the Iraqi leader.

Powell said Iraq, in trying to deny any work on weapons of mass destruction, has been playing a “con” game for years.

“Where we are now is that it is time for the international community to speak back,” Powell said.

Asked what the United States will do, the secretary replied: “The president will articulate it. He will articulate fully and in the near future.”

Powell would not say whether Bush would spell out his plan for Iraq next week at the UN General Assembly and said no decision has been made whether the United States would seek additional UN resolutions or Security Council action.

White House press secretary Ari Fleischer said Bush would use his today’s session with politicians - including Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle and House Democratic leader Dick Gephardt - as an update on the anti-terror war in Afghanistan and a prod toward approval of the increased funds he wants for the Pentagon.

Iraq, Fleischer said with some understatement, “will come up.”

Yesterday, official Washington’s first day back at work after the summer holiday, Daschle joined the growing list of complainants - both Democratic and Republican, domestic and overseas - who say Bush has yet to make the case for taking action against Saddam.

“We think that it is important for us to better understand what information the president has and what the ramifications of an invasion might be, should that be the president’s choice. Those matters have not yet been presented to us,” said Daschle.

Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona agreed that the administration has not done well in presenting evidence. “But they are embarking on that effort and I hope they will do a better job.”

A new survey shows that public support for attacking Iraq has dropped over the past month to its lowest levels since the war on terrorism began on October 7.

An ABC News poll showed that 56% favour military action against Iraq, down from 69% early in August.

And it indicated that 39%, now support military action against Iraq even if US allies are opposed, down from 54% early last month.

Daschle said international support for a US invasion may not be “absolutely essential,” but there are risks in alienating America’s friends.

“There would be a huge price to pay if we act unilaterally, especially if it’s against the wishes of virtually every one of our allies around the world,” he said.