Lawmakers expect end of month vote on action in Iraq

Congressional leaders believe President Bush will come to Capitol Hill in the final week of September to formally ask Congress to approve military action in Iraq.

"It seems like it's coalescing that way," said a Senate GOP leadership aide. Although the White House has announced no plans, lawmakers are quietly clearing their schedules for that week in anticipation of a prolonged and heated debate.

On Thursday, Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., said for the first time it was "likely" Congress would take up a resolution before the November elections, although he did not promise a vote. Senate Republicans have demanded Congress take up and vote on the issue before leaving to campaign.

On a related issue, Senate Governmental Affairs Chairman Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said Friday that they will offer an amendment to homeland security legislation next week to create an independent commission to examine intelligence failures in light of last year's terrorist attacks.

Lieberman said the amendment will come up after the Senate deals with an amendment from Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., on implementation of the department, and a placeholder amendment from Governmental Affairs ranking member Fred Thompson, R-Tenn. Lieberman said "support is growing" for the intelligence amendment and he expects it to pass.

The idea of creating a special commission was proposed last December by Lieberman and McCain, but has gained momentum as it becomes more likely that the Senate Intelligence Committee will not be able to complete its examination of the issue by year's end.

"I'm not sure we can complete the job by the end of the year," Intelligence ranking member Richard Shelby, R-Ala., reiterated Friday.

In other action, Daschle filed cloture on the fiscal 2003 Interior appropriations bill Friday in hopes of forcing a final vote on the bill early next week. The Senate could vote on the motion Tuesday evening, when Daschle has scheduled the first votes of the week following Monday's observance of Yom Kippur. If the motion is approved, the Senate may move almost immediately to a vote on final passage.

Senate Democrats also will decide shortly if they will file a similar motion to wrap up debate on the homeland security bill, and Senate leaders hope to reach a deal next week on legislation to reinstate the budget enforcement mechanisms.