Bush Draft on Iraq Goes to Congress; Seeks OK to Use Armed forces.(PAGE ONE)

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Byline: Joseph Curl and Dave Boyer, THE WASHINGTON TIMES

President Bush yesterday sent a draft resolution to Congress asking lawmakers "to authorize the use of United States armed forces against Iraq" - with or without U.N. support - but several key Democrats vowed to rewrite the proposal.

"If you want to keep the peace, you've got to have the authorization to use force," Mr. Bush said yesterday at the White House.

"The United Nations Security Council must show backbone, must step up and hold this regime to account," he said. "Otherwise, the United States and some of our friends will do so."

The draft resolution calls for unilateral U.S. authority to "use all means," even if the United Nations decides otherwise.

"The president," the two-page draft resolution reads, "is authorized to use all means that he determines to be appropriate, including force, in order to enforce the United Nations Security Council resolutions, defend the national security interests of the United States against the threat posed by Iraq, and restore international peace and security in the region."

The …