Washington ? Prominent Democrats in Congress called Sunday for removing Saddam Hussein from power, endorsing a classified Bush administration plan that gives the CIA broader power to take action against the Iraqi leader.

The administration “is trying to bring about a change in regime. … I think it is an appropriate action to take,” said House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt, D-Mo., appearing on ABC’s “This Week.”

Gephardt and other members of Congress both Democrats and Republicans cited Saddam’s alleged pursuit of weapons of mass destruction and violations of United Nations resolutions and international law as justification for such a move.

Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle said he was satisfied with the degree of consultation so far between the administration and Congress.

“There is broad support for a regime change in Iraq” and “we want to work with the administration and try to find the best way and the best time to do this,” said Daschle, D-S.D., who appeared on “Fox News Sunday.”

An outline of the administration plan leaked Sunday in a Washington Post story that said President Bush early this year directed the CIA to increase support to Iraqi opposition groups and expand intelligence collection efforts within the Iraqi government. The Post also said the plan calls for possible use of CIA and U.S. Special Forces teams to capture Hussein, and to kill him if the teams are acting in self-defense.

“If Saddam Hussein’s around five years from now, we’ve failed,” said Sen. Joseph R. Biden, Jr., D-Del., chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”

Asked whether the plan to give the CIA broader authority had given him any pause, Biden said, “Only if it doesn’t work.”