The White House expressed opposition 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.
Senate Democrats said they were working on a proposal to rewrite the 2002 resolution to create a narrower, binding authority that would restrict the military's role and prompt US troops to start pulling out.
The 2002 resolution, approved at a time when American tensions were still running high from the September 11th attacks, gave Bush fairly wide latitude.
It authorized him to use the US 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, asked by reporters if Bush would oppose any effort to revoke the 2002 authorization, said, "Of course we would."
He said it was unclear whether Democrats would go forward with the proposal because they appeared divided on Iraq.
"I think what's clear is that there's a lot of, you know, shifting sands in the Democrats' positions right now. It's hard to say exactly what their position is," Mr Fratto said.
But he said the White House considers the 2002 resolution still active and that to pull US troops out of Iraq, as some Democrats support, "would bring chaos to Baghdad."
Mr Bush has made clear he will fight hard for a $100 billion proposal to fund US 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.