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Bush to take his case to US public

With Congress poised to authorize a potential war against Iraq, US President George W. Bush was set to visit the American heartland yesterday in an attempt to galvanize US public support with a prime-time speech.

In his speech in Cincinnati, Ohio, Bush was to outline his case against Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. Aides said the speech was intended to be educational and explain the urgency of Bush's case, but the president was not expected to reveal new intelligence data on Iraq's arms programs.

Although Bush's message was to be directed to the American public, a secondary audience would be international, as he seeks to demonstrate US determination and overcome doubts within the UN Security Council over authorizing force against Iraq.

"I'll be giving a talk to the nation about my take on the debate," Bush said on Saturday in New Hampshire.

"The use of force is not my first choice, it's my last. But my first choice as well is not to allow the world's worst leader to blackmail, to harm America with the world's worst weapons."

US officials have recently been suggesting that Iraqis oust Saddam to avoid a costly invasion. In his speech, Bush will warn Iraqi officials that they could face criminal charges for following Saddam's orders, The Washington Post reported yesterday, citing a US official.

Bush has called for a new UN Security Council resolution demanding that Saddam dismantle programs to acquire weapons of mass destruction and said it would be necessary to use force if Saddam failed to comply.

The US Congress this week is to take up a proposed resolution giving Bush the authority to act, and it is expected to easily approve the measure within the next week to 10 days.

But Democrats, fighting to keep control of the US Senate and recapture the House of Representatives in November elections, remain split on the issue.

Some key Democrats say Bush has failed to demonstrate that there is an immediate threat that must be answered by force, but others back the president's case.

"I will not support that resolution," Democratic Senator Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts said on CBS's Face the Nation on Sunday.

"Saddam Hussein is a dangerous figure. He's got dangerous weapons. But the administration hasn't made the case that this is a clear and present and imminent danger to the United States of America," Kennedy said.

But Democratic Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana said on the Fox News Sunday program, "We should act before it's too late."

Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota predicted the Senate would approve a resolution with a vote in the range of 75-25, but said he was still seeking changes in the wording of the White House-backed resolution.

Opinion polls show around 60 percent of Americans support a war against Iraq, but doubts increase when they are asked to consider US casualties or a war without UN backing.

Bush's speech comes less than one month before elections that will decide party control of Congress.

Bush has made his case against Iraq a cornerstone of his political fund-raising and campaign speech-es for congressional candidates, but the trip to Cincinnati has fewer campaign overtones.

Ohio has not figured prominently in this year's campaign and Bush's speech is to be sponsored by civic groups.
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