WASHINGTON - The Bush administration sharpened its push for a quick congressional vote authorizing possible military action against Iraq, drafting a strongly worded resolution for delivery to lawmakers today.
Three senior White House aides familiar with the draft said it would give Bush maximum flexibility to confront the threat posed by Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, including an explicit OK to use military force. One of the officials said the resolution also would adopt much of the same language found in the 1998 law calling for a regime change in Iraq.
As administration officials laid the groundwork for any Iraqi campaign, U.S. officials at the United Nations worked to reconstruct an anti-Iraq consensus shattered by Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's offer Monday to let U.N. weapons inspectors return after nearly four years. The U.N. Security Council was to discuss plans for inspections at a session today.
Secretary of State Colin Powell gave President Bush a progress report Wednesday on U.S. efforts at the United Nations. Powell was due back at the White House this morning for more strategy talks on the administration's next moves with wary allies, a senior White House official said.
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld told the House Armed Services Committee Wednesday that Congress must act before the Security Council does.
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