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Rumsfeld briefs senators on military plansDaschle faults administration over consultations
By Sean Loughlin
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Amid reports that some senators, including Republicans, say they're being ignored by the White House as the administration gears up for a possible war with Iraq, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld visited Capitol Hill Wednesday for a closed-door meeting with members of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Top Republicans and Rumsfeld sought to make a show of unity after the meeting, in which the defense secretary and military advisers outlined current and potential military operations. But the Senate's top Democrat -- who is not a member of the committee and did not attend the meeting -- said the administration was failing to adequately brief members of Congress about its plans for Iraq. "It was an excellent hearing, a very free and open exchange between 20 senators and the secretary of defense, together with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs," said Sen. John Warner of Virginia, top Republican on the committee. Still, he pointedly noted that "any situation could be strengthened" and stressed that "today" the consultations were positive. Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-South Dakota, was far more critical in his assessment of the White House's consultations with members of Congress. He complained Wednesday that the administration was "not upholding (its) end of the deal" after Congress passed a resolution last year authorizing the use of force against Iraq, if Saddam Hussein fails to disarm. That resolution, he said, called on the president to report to Congress after 60 days. "That report is now a month overdue. We don't yet know what the administration's official position is as a result of their unwillingness to share a report with us," he said. But Rumsfeld said he did not believe the Iraq resolution called for a written report to Congress, and he dismissed the suggestion that the Bush administration was not consulting with Congress. Rumsfeld noted that he was once a congressman and said he takes seriously the "linkage" between the executive and legislative branches. "I have trouble understanding exactly how one could make more appearances or more regular appearances," Rumsfeld said. "I have testified before some 20 committee hearings. I've given over 20 briefings up here." Daschle made it clear he thought the administration could do more. "I think they ought to do a lot better job," Daschle said. "I don't see how Congress can function as a coequal partner if we are locked out of the information that should be provided to us on a regular basis." Daschle's comments came as U.S. and British forces are gathering in the Persian Gulf for a possible military confrontation with Iraq over what the administration has described as its efforts to develop nuclear, chemical or biological weapons. President Bush said Tuesday that "time is running out" for Saddam to disarm, and he was "sick and tired of games and deceptions."
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