White House resistant to changing war resolution

WASHINGTON, Feb 23 (Reuters) The White House signaled resistance today to any attempt by the US Senate to revise the 2002 resolution that President George W Bush used to go to war in Iraq with a document that would narrow the mission there and lead to US troop withdrawals.

Senate Democrats said they were working on a proposal to repeal the 2002 resolution in favor of narrower, binding authority that would restrict the military's role and prompt US troops to start pulling out.

The 2002 resolution gave Bush fairly wide latitude. It authorized him to use the U.S. armed forces ''as he determines to be necessary and appropriate in order to defend the national security of the United States against the continuing threat posed by Iraq.'' White House spokesman Tony Fratto told reporters he would not discuss ''hypothetical legislation'' since Democrats have yet to introduce a formal proposal. He said officials would have to look at the wording of any new resolution.

''We don't really know where they're going. If there's anything clear it's that the Democrats seem to be fairly divided on what they intend to do, so we'll wait and see what they come up with,'' he said.

But he said the White House considers the 2002 resolution still active and in place.

''It's operable, it's relevant,'' Fratto said. ''It was passed by the United States Congress. It didn't have a sunset on it.

It's when the commander-in-chief decides that the mission is completed.'' Bush has made clear he will fight hard for a 100 billion dollar proposal to fund U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, with some Democrats pondering an attempt to force a change in policy by putting restrictions on how the money is spent.

After Senate Republicans halted a non-binding resolution opposing Bush's troop buildup in Iraq, the Democrats are determined to challenge Bush anew by replacing the 2002 authorization of force in Iraq with a narrower mission statement for US troops, congressional aides said yesterday.

The newly defined US mission would involve denying terrorists a safe haven in Iraq, training Iraqi troops and helping Iraqis protect their own borders, said one Democratic aide. The proposal would be binding and a draft calls for US troops not involved in the narrower mission to come home by early 2008, he said.

There are 139,000 US troops currently in Iraq. Lawmakers would rely on the US military to tell them how many would be needed for the narrower mission, the aides said.

The proposal is being drafted by Michigan Sen. Carl Levin, the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, and Delaware Sen Joseph Biden, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, and their staffs -- with the blessing of Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid of Nevada.

REUTERS SAM RAI2244