Bush Challenged on Iran; Pelosi Says Congress Must OK Any Invasion

By David Espo

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that President Bush lacks the authority to invade Iran without approval from Congress, a fresh challenge to the commander in chief on the eve of a symbolic vote opposing his troop buildup in Iraq.

Pelosi, D-Calif., noted that Bush has consistently said he supports a diplomatic resolution to U.S. differences with Iran "and I take him at his word."

At the same time, she said, "I do believe that Congress should assert itself, though, and make it very clear that there is no previous authority for the president, any president, to go into Iran."

Pelosi spoke in an interview in the Capitol as lawmakers plowed through a third day of marathon debate in the House on a nonbinding measure opposing the administration’s plan to send 21,500 more troops to Iraq and as Democrats readied a more provocative challenge to the president.

That included drafting legislation to require the Pentagon to meet certain standards for training and equipping the troops, as well as fixing the time that military units must be given at home between deployments.

"That stops the surge [in troops] for all intents and purposes, because . . . they cannot sustain the deployment," said Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., who plans to attach the conditions to legislation providing nearly $100 billion for the military.

Republicans quickly fired back. Rep. John Boehner of Ohio, the House minority leader, said the plan would "pull the rug out from under American troops in the combat zone by cutting off their reinforcements and forcing them to face the enemy without our full support."

Across the Capitol, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., announced plans to hold a test vote on Saturday on the same nonbinding measure critical of the troop increase that the House was to vote on today.

Partisan bickering has prevented a Senate vote so far, with Republicans insisting on equal treatment for an alternative that rules out the "elimination or reduction of funds for troops in the field."

Pelosi and other Democrats have said approval of the nonbinding measure would mark the first step in an effort by the new Democratic- controlled Congress to force Bush to change course in a war that has killed more than 3,100 U.S. troops in nearly four years.

Bush administration officials and their allies are resigned to House passage of the resolution and have worked in recent days to hold down defections by GOP lawmakers.

But Bush, who has challenged lawmakers not to cut off funds for the troops, took a swipe at his critics Thursday.

"This may become the first time in the history of the United States Congress that it has voted to send a new commander into battle and then voted to oppose his plan that is necessary to succeed in that battle," he said, referring to last week’s Senate confirmation of Lt. Gen David Petraeus to take over as the top U.S. commander in Iraq.

Bush said at a news conference Wednesday that there is no doubt the Iranian government is providing armor-piercing weapons to kill American troops in Iraq. But he backed away from claims that the top echelon of Iran’s government was responsible.

Administration critics have accused the president of looking for a pretext to attack the Islamic republic, which is also at loggerheads with the United Nations about what Iran says is a nuclear energy program and what the United States says is a nuclear weapons program.

Defending U.S. intelligence that has pinpointed Iran as a hostile arms supplier in Iraq, Bush said, "Does this mean you’re trying to have a pretext for war? No. It means I’m trying to protect our troops."

Bush has asked Congress to approve $100 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Congressional Democrats are hoping to insert provisions that would make it harder for the administration to follow through on its plan to deploy the additional troops to Iraq.

Murtha, in a video aired on movecongress.org, a coalition of groups opposed to the war, said his proposals were designed with the safety and protection of the troops in mind.

He also said the measure may be changed to prohibit any military action against Iran without specific congressional approval.

Asked about Murtha’s remarks, Pelosi said, "I fully support that." She added that she would propose it as stand-alone legislation if it is not included in the bill that provides more money for the Iraq War.

Bush has said he intends to go ahead with the troop buildup regardless of Congress’ nonbinding expressions of disapproval.

But, Pelosi said, "I don’t think that the president can completely ignore it."

She spoke down the hall from the House chamber, where Republicans and Democrats took turns at the microphone in a debate on the war.

"The enemy wants our men and women in uniform to think their Congress doesn’t care about them," said Rep. Sam Johnson, R-Texas, who was a prisoner of war during Vietnam. "We must learn from our mistakes. We cannot leave a job undone like we left in Korea, like we left in Vietnam, like we left in Somalia."

Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina, a member of the Democratic leadership, said the victory to be won in Iraq "is not a military conquest."

"The victory we seek is earned through the restoration of America’s role as peacemaker, not warmonger," he said.

(c) 2007 Buffalo News. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.