Washington ? As the Senate launched a historic debate Friday on Iraq, the chairman of the Intelligence Committee, Sen. Bob Graham, argued that the United States should pursue terrorist groups such as al-Qaida rather than adopting an “Iraq first” policy.

“Our first priority should be the successful completion of the war on terrorism,” Graham, D-Fla., said in a speech on the Senate floor. “Today, we Americans are more vulnerable to international terrorist organizations than we are to Saddam Hussein.”

After a three-hour closed-door committee briefing on Iraq by CIA Director George Tenet, Graham said he would press the CIA to declassify intelligence reports on whether a U.S. invasion of Iraq would heighten the threat of terrorist attacks in the United States.

“War with Iraq increases the chances that (terrorist groups) will strike within our homeland,” said Graham. “Elevating Saddam Hussein to No. 1 enemy poses risks we have not fully considered.”

Graham and Sen. John Rockefeller, D-W.Va., plan next week to offer an amendment to the Iraq resolution that would broaden President Bush’s authority to pursue international terrorist groups. This approach may offer an alternative to Democrats who are wary of Bush’s emphasis on striking Iraq, but worried about political retribution if they oppose an Iraq resolution.

Graham’s initiative capped a day of debate about the value of the Bush administration’s intelligence reports on Iraq, and whether the CIA has been disclosing complete information in a timely way.

A senior U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Knight Ridder that intelligence analysts contest the administration’s suggestion of a major link connecting Iraq and al-Qaida.

Analysts also are concerned that a U.S. invasion of Iraq could boost al-Qaida’s recruiting efforts, destabilize moderate regimes in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and give India an excuse to launch pre-emptive strikes on Pakistan.

As he left the briefing, Tenet said only that it was “a good meeting.” Two Democrats said it was contentious, with several senators pressing the CIA to declassify more data.

“There were some very difficult moments in there, relative to the CIA giving us timely information,” said Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich.

Sen. Richard Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, said some classified information he had seen did not support the administration’s portrayal of the Iraqi threat.

“It’s troubling to have classified information that contradicts statements made by the administration,” Durbin said. “There’s more they should share with the public.”

Durbin would not be more specific, but he did say the committee had received the views of some analysts who did not share the administration’s conclusion that Iraq was an urgent threat with important links to al-Qaida terrorists.

But Sen. Pat Roberts, a Kansas Republican, said the committee was getting “good analysis” from the CIA. Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., the panel’s vice chairman, said he had seen enough intelligence to demonstrate that Iraq posed a major threat to U.S. interests.