By Brody Mullins and Charlie Mitchell

CongressDaily

WASHINGTON — The bipartisan congressional leadership headed to the White House this morning to iron out the final language of a resolution authorizing the use of force against Iraq, but Senator Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) continues to consider waging a filibuster against the resolution if it gives U.S. President George W. Bush too much authority to wage war in the region.

According to Byrd’s spokesman, the Senate’s most senior Democrat wants to ensure that the Bush administration’s resolution does not trample on congressional authority over war making.  The spokesman said that Byrd would have “significant concerns ... if there is a resolution before the Senate that Senator Byrd believes would run counter to the separation of powers.”  The spokesman did not say Byrd would filibuster the resolution, although Byrd has previously hinted he might do so.

Anticipating a possible filibuster, Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) filed a cloture petition late Tuesday.  A Daschle spokeswoman said the move was intended to “get the train moving.”  She added that if senators tried to delay debate on Iraq, a cloture vote might be held Thursday.  Daschle and Minority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) both held out hope Tuesday afternoon that a path would be cleared quickly for a bipartisan resolution to come to the floor.

Congressional leaders hoped to begin debate on the issue today, with deliberations stretching into next week — scheduled to be Congress’ last on Capitol Hill before November’s elections.

Also Tuesday, both parties continued to wrestle over legislation to create a homeland security department.

After Senate Republicans rallied for the fifth time to defeat a Democratic cloture motion on the bill, senators on both sides of the aisle angled to blame one another for the delay in approving the popular legislation.  Governmental Affairs ranking member Fred Thompson (R-Tenn.) said the bill is on “life support” because of Democratic intransigence on the personnel rules in the legislation.  Democrats countered that Republicans are responsible for the delay by blocking cloture.

Governmental Affairs Chairman Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.) said the defeat of the fifth cloture petition was “truly an irresponsible act.”

Daschle told reporters the Senate would remain focused on the homeland security bill until it is completed, pledging to break off for other legislation such as an Iraq resolution only when agreement allows.

“I don’t want to displace homeland security,” Daschle said.  “If we can find an arrangement to interrupt [the homeland security debate], we’ll do it.”

Lott and top Senate Republicans warned Tuesday that the homeland security bill was on the verge of dying, but Daschle threatened to keep the Senate in session through next month’s elections to get the measure enacted.

Daschle said the Senate’s shift to the Justice Department reauthorization bill Tuesday afternoon was only a “temporary interruption” and warned, “We’re going to stay on the [homeland] bill.  We’re going to finish it.”  Daschle’s spokeswoman said later that no decision had been made about keeping the Senate in session through November, saying of the target date for adjournment, “We’re hoping next week and we’re thinking it might be the week after.”

Republicans said a breakthrough must take place today on homeland security or, in Lott’s words, “it’s going to be hopeless.”

Daschle also said renewing budget enforcement mechanisms was one of “two or three high priorities” he would try to deal with in the coming weeks.

Leading House supporters of providing Bush with authorization to use military force against Iraq emerged from a White House meeting Tuesday confident that a deal was at hand that would attract the support of most GOP leaders and House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt (D-Mo.).

Some among the bipartisan group of lawmakers, who were led by House Chief Deputy Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and Representative Howard Berman (D-Calif.), said the agreed-to language could be announced as early as today.  Blunt predicted committee action and a floor vote next week.

One GOP official suggested Tuesday that Daschle remains a dissenting voice, while Lott, House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) and Gephardt are in basic agreement over the text of the resolution.

“There’s an increasing possibility that three of the four leaders are on the same page,” the GOP official said.

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