Washington ? Lawmakers predicted Sunday that President Bush’s request for a mandate to restore regional security in the Mideast would be scaled down to address just Iraq, allowing congressional authorization to take on Saddam Hussein.

There were also bipartisan pleas for Israeli restraint in the face of Iraqi provocation, although members of Congress said they would understand if Israel felt the need to respond to attacks.

The White House has proposed a resolution that would authorize the president “to use all means that he determines to be appropriate, including force, in order to … defend the national security interests of the United States against the threat posed by Iraq, and restore international peace and security in the region.”

“It’s much too broad, there’s no limit at all on presidential powers,” said Sen. Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Bush wants the U.N. Security Council to enforce bans on weapons of mass destruction against Iraq. The United States believes Iraq is stockpiling deadly chemical and biological weapons, and is rebuilding its nuclear weapons program.

Sen. Joe Biden, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said keeping “region” in would set too broad a precedent.

“I predict that won’t be the language,” Biden told CNN’s Late Edition, adding that the White House was amenable to change.