Posted on Sun, Nov. 10, 2002 story:PUB_DESC

Dems' likely House minority leader eyes cost, duration of conflict By Jose A. Lopez

SAN FRANCISCO - The congresswoman expected to lead the Democratic Party said her colleagues in the House will support American troops should the United States go to war with Iraq, but President Bush must first provide a concrete plan of action.

Rep. Nancy Pelosi, meeting briefly with reporters before an awards dinner at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco, said Democrats will be cautious as the United States works with the United Nations to enforce a deadline for Saddam Hussein to disarm.

The U.N. passed the disarmament resolution unanimously on Friday.

"We have stood shoulder to shoulder with President Bush on the war on terrorism," Pelosi said. "The war on Iraq is a separate issue. The president sees it as the same one."

Pelosi and most House Democrats opposed a congressional resolution last month that gave President Bush the go-ahead to attack Iraq in order to dismantle nuclear and biological weapons being developed by Saddam.

The liberal Democrat from San Francisco is expected to be chosen the party's leader in Congress this week. She saw her bid all but assured Friday when her chief rival dropped out of the race.

Responding to a question Saturday about a report that the administration settled on an attack plan well before the U.N. resolution was secured, Pelosi said she wants to see a complete detailing of the plan before deciding whether to support war.

"I think the American people deserve to know what the plan is," she said.

Pelosi said it is especially important to know what the costs of war would be, both economically and in terms of lives. She also said the American public should know how long the war would last and whether it would jeopardize relationships with U.S. allies.

"If we do go we'll all be 100 percent behind our service people," she said. "Before we go, though, we must understand the danger."

-- Anonymous, November 10, 2002