WASHINGTON, Aug. 26 (UPI) -- The Bush administration spelled out its case for a pre-emptive military strike against Iraq on Monday, as Vice President Dick Cheney declared Iraq a "mortal threat," and White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said congressional approval for a strike would not be legally required.
Speaking at the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in Nashville, Tenn., Cheney called for action over talk in efforts against Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. Inaction, he said, "could have devastating consequences for many countries, including our own."
Cheney said Saddam possessed weapons of mass destruction and that he intends to use them against the United States.
"What we must not do in the face of a mortal threat is to give in to wishful thinking or willful blindness," Cheney said. "We will not simply look away, hope for the best, and leave the matter for some future administration to resolve."
Cheney's tough words came as the White House confirmed recent media reports that White House lawyers have already laid out a legal case for military action against Iraq and presented it to President George W. Bush.
White House counsel Al Gonzalez has told the president that congressional approval for military action is not required because existing documents already give the president the right to strike, Fleischer said at a Crawford, Texas, news conference.
The White House bases its legal case on three documents: the commander-in-chief clause of the U.S. Constitution, the U.N. Persian Gulf War resolution of 1991, and the September 2001 congressional authorization to use force against terrorist attacks, Fleischer said.
Stressing that "the president understands the fundamental importance in a democracy of public support," Fleischer said that Bush still planned to consult with Congress before authorizing any military force.
However, he did not guarantee that the president would ask for a formal declaration of war or a vote of congressional approval.
While allies will also be consulted, the United States will not base its final decision on the opinions of other nations, Fleischer said.
"What the president has said is that we will consult with our allies and we will also demonstrate leadership, and the two go together. It's often the case that when America leads, the world follows."
Cheney's extensive remarks on Iraq touched on a wide variety of topics, including Saddam's nuclear capabilities, the rationale for regime change, and a near-pledge to help Iraq rebuild after Saddam is gone.
Fleischer said Cheney was "speaking for the administration." An aide to Cheney said Monday that the speech was intended to support Bush's views, not break new ground.
"Our purpose was not to advance the debate but to lay out and restate in a comprehensive matter the case against Saddam to the American public and the world," Cheney counselor Mary Matalin told United Press International on Monday.
Cheney said resumed weapons inspections would not be enough to counter Saddam's drive for weapons of mass destruction. Instead, the delay they would cause would work in Saddam's interest, he said.
"What he wants is time and more time to husband his resources, to invest in his ongoing chemical
and biological weapons programs, and to gain possession of nuclear arms," he said.
Cheney painted a stark picture of a world in which Saddam remained unchecked, stating that he expected him to seek domination of the entire Middle East and a great portion of the world's energy supplies.
Cheney said that the Iraqi regime has been "very busy enhancing its capabilities in the field of chemical and biological agents," and was actively seeking nuclear weapons.
While he thought Saddam would acquire nuclear weapons relatively soon, however, he said that uneven intelligence information meant that the White House "cannot really gauge" how soon.
Cheney cited the words of Iraqi experts who expect the Iraqi people to be "cheering in the streets" when the Americans arrive. He said the United States would help Iraq "be a great nation once again.
"Our goal would be an Iraq that has territorial integrity, a government that is democratic and pluralistic, a nation where the human rights
of every ethnic and religious group are recognized and protected."
Cheney also said that he and other members of the White House security team would participate fully in September congressional hearings on the Iraq issue.
Cheney's comments came one day after James A. Baker III, the former secretary of State under the first Bush administration, warned against a go-it-alone attitude on Iraq by the United States.
In an op-ed article published in Sunday's New York Times, Baker advised the United States to seek a new resolution from the U.N. Security Council before using military force.
Baker joined a growing chorus of former administration officials urging the White House to seek approval from allies before using force to remove Saddam from power. The White House said Sunday that it was taking all comments into account as it crafted its final decision.
While Cheney took direction from the president, the vice president wrote much of Monday's speech himself and was revising it until Sunday, Cheney aide Matalin said.
"The case going forward will be made by the president," she said.
