Senator says Bush must alter approach

WASHINGTON -- A prominent Republican lawmaker charged yesterday that President Bush has adopted a go-it-alone approach on Iraq that is flouting the will of the public and Congress, where he said some members are considering impeachment an option.

Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee and a frequent GOP critic of the war, stopped short of calling for Bush's impeachment. But he made clear that some lawmakers viewed that as an option should Bush choose to push ahead despite public sentiment against the war.

Meanwhile, Senator Trent Lott of Mississippi, the Senate's number two Republican leader, harshly criticized House Democrats for setting an "artificial date" for withdrawing troops from Iraq and said he believes Republicans have enough votes to prevent passage of a similar bill in the Senate.

"We need to put that kind of decision in the hands of our commanders. . . . For Congress to impose an artificial date of any kind is totally irresponsible," Lott said on "Fox News Sunday."

Hagel, who is considering a 2008 presidential run, said on ABC's "This Week" that there are ways for Congress to deal with "any president who says, 'I don't care,' or 'I will not respond to what the people of this country are saying about Iraq or anything else.' "

"This is not a monarchy," he added, referring to the possibility that some lawmakers may seek impeachment. "There are ways to deal with it."

The White House had no immediate reaction yesterday to Hagel's comments.

The Senate plans to begin debate today on a war spending bill that would set a nonbinding goal of March 31, 2008, for the removal of combat troops.

The House narrowly passed a bill Friday that will pay for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan this year but would require that combat troops withdraw from Iraq before September 2008 -- or earlier if the Iraqi government did not meet certain requirements.

In his weekly address Saturday, Bush accused Democrats of partisanship in the House vote and said their plan would cut the number of troops below a level that US military commanders say they need. Vice President Dick Cheney also accused Democrats of undermining US troops in Iraq and of sending a message to terrorists that America will retreat in the face of danger.