Washington ? President Bush promised Wednesday to seek Congress’ approval for “whatever is necessary” to oust Saddam Hussein, including using military force, as the White House considered giving Iraq a last-ditch ultimatum over weapons inspectors.

House Speaker Dennis Hastert said Congress would vote before the Nov. 5 elections on how to deal with the Iraqi president, ensuring that Iraq is a high-profile issue in the campaign for control of the House and Senate.

Democrats who control the Senate said a resolution was possible but not certain because of the lack of time and Bush’s failure thus far to make his case for war. “It would not be my assumption that the military course is the only action available to him today,” said Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D.

“This is a debate the American people must hear, must understand,” Bush said after a Cabinet Room meeting with 18 Democratic and Republican congressional leaders. “And the world must understand, as well, that its credibility is at stake.”

After weeks of conflict and criticism, Bush began a public relations campaign to convince Americans and wary allies of the need to overthrow Saddam and secure his weapons of mass destruction program perhaps by opening a second, perilous front on the war against terrorism.

Essentially seeking a blank check, Bush told lawmakers, “At an appropriate time, and after consultations with the leadership, I will seek congressional support for U.S. action to do whatever is necessary to deal with the threat posed by Saddam Hussein’s regime.”

World reaction

Baghdad denounced Bush’s “evil plans.” Iraqi foreign minister Naji Sabri, speaking at the Arab foreign ministers meeting in Egypt, said: “These are whims and lies and pretexts … all prepared with no evidence at all to support them.”

Also in Cairo, Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa said the threat of war against Iraq “constitutes a danger for the stability of the entire region.” But Swedish Prime Minister Goeran Persson said Bush was making the situation “politically manageable.”

In South Africa, Secretary of State Colin Powell said he received “a solid expression of support” from allies at a U.N. development summit.

White House press secretary Ari Fleischer said the congressional resolution could include “any number of things, including the option of military force.” Congress may be asked to approve “all-encompassing” language, even before Bush decides what action to take.

Sensitive to the political pitfalls of bucking a wartime president, Democratic lawmakers cautiously accepted Bush’s talk of consultations and a sense-of-the-Congress vote. But they said Bush has yet to justify war with Iraq.

Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., who attended the White House meeting, said he does not think there is time for a resolution before the election.

“I think everyone acknowledged this is a good start, but I don’t think anyone walked out of there ready to invade,” he said.

Argument for action

The president plans to make his case before the United Nations on Sept. 12, a day after the nation commemorates the one-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks that killed more than 3,000 people.

He will meet Saturday at Camp David with Tony Blair, the staunchest U.S. ally on Iraq. Bush said he would reach out to presidents Jacques Chirac of France, Jiang Zemin of China and Vladimir Putin of Russia all three opposed to war with Iraq.

Bush will argue that Saddam has flouted U.N. resolutions aimed at curbing his weapons of mass destruction program since the Persian Gulf War, and thus the world body is obligated to help the U.S. punish Saddam for not complying, administration officials said.

The president is strongly considering a U.N. Security Council resolution that would set a deadline for Iraq to open its weapons sites to unfettered inspection and to apply punitive action if he refuses, three administration officials told The Associated Press on condition they not be identified.

To get the resolution past a threatened veto by China or Russia, the resolution likely would not spell out the threat, but it would be obvious to Saddam, the officials said.

Some two dozen ideas are circulating within the administration, and among them is the notion of “coercive inspections” forcing Iraq to open its suspect sites to inspectors by deploying thousands of American or multinational troops in or near Iraq who would launch an attack if inspectors were denied, officials said.

In any form, White House officials said Saddam is unlikely to comply with either a U.S. or U.N. ultimatum. Even if he does agree to wide-open inspections, the official U.S. policy still calls for a regime change.

Thus, senior Bush advisers acknowledge that Bush is setting the stage for a confrontation with Saddam while knowing the outcome eventually will lead to military force unless the Iraqi leader is deposed by other means.

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld went to the Capitol on Wednesday for classified meetings. He said Tuesday that the Bush administration has secret information that Saddam is close to developing nuclear weapons.