Senators tell administration it must consult with Congress before hitting Iraq

WASHINGTON - Senior senators in both political parties put the Bush administration on notice Tuesday that they expect it to consult Congress before deciding to launch a U.S. military operation to unseat Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.


Senate Armed Services Committee members delivered the stern message to CIA Director George Tenet during a hearing on the intelligence community's latest assessment of leading threats to U.S. security.


The senators' comments underscored growing concern inside Congress, within the uniformed U.S. military, and among America's allies in Europe and the Arab world about the potential risks, costs and scope of Bush's global war on terrorism. Especially worrisome is Bush's apparent determination to topple Saddam, which could embroil U.S. forces in a major war in a hostile region, with unpredictable consequences.


The panel's top Republican, Sen. John Warner of Virginia, told Tenet that the Bush administration has not yet answered critical questions about its plans for Iraq, particularly the impact of Saddam's ouster on regional and U.S. security.