Party Sidesteps Gore’s Jab at Bush

Prominent Democrats stepped gingerly Tuesday around former Vice President Al Gore’s criticism of President Bush’s policy on Iraq.

Gore’s vice presidential running mate of two years ago, Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (D-Conn.), said he did not agree that action against Iraq could detract from the overall fight against terrorism.

“I respectfully disagree with that part of it,” he said. “I am confident the American military can do, and will do, both at once.”

Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.), said he, like Gore, had “raised the questions: What will it do to our international partnerships? What effect will it have on the war on terrorism? What does a preemptive strike mean for other countries? Does it set the wrong example?”

Some Democrats opted for silence on the subject.

Terry McAuliffe, national chairman of the Democratic Party, said through an aide that he would have no comment.

And House Democratic Leader Richard A. Gephardt (D-Mo.) offered no immediate response.

In remarks delivered Monday in San Francisco, Gore said he was concerned that “the policy we are presently following with respect to Iraq has the potential to seriously damage our ability to win the war against terrorism and to weaken our ability to lead the world in this new century.”

The former vice president spoke as Democratic congressional leaders were seeking agreement with their GOP counterparts and the White House on legislation that would authorize Bush to use force to move against Saddam Hussein and any Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. A vote is likely by next week, and overwhelming bipartisan approval is expected in both the House and Senate.