By Mark Egan

CRAWFORD, Texas (Reuters) - President Bush ( news - web sites) on Friday defended his Iraq policy from criticism within his own Republican Party, saying he would consult with others but make decisions based on the "latest intelligence."

Reuters Photo

Bush has made ousting Iraqi President Saddam Hussein ( news - web sites) one of his top priorities, but dissent from within his own political ranks has persisted. The national security adviser during Bush's father's presidency said on Thursday an attack on the oil-producing nation could alienate U.S. allies.

Bush characterized that dissent as a healthy debate, but left no doubt about his opinion.

"I listened carefully to what they have to say," Bush said. "There should be no doubt in anybody's mind that this man (Saddam) is thumbing his nose at the world, that he has gassed his own people, that he is trouble in his neighborhood, that he desires weapons of mass destruction."

Bush, who calls Iraq part of an "axis of evil," has long maintained an attack on Saddam is justified because he is trying to build an arsenal of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons.

During decades in power, Saddam has used chemical weapons to quell rebellion from ethnic Kurds in the mountainous northern region of his fractious nation.

"I will use all the latest intelligence to make informed decisions about how best to keep the world at peace, how best to defend freedom for the long run," said Bush, who planned to meet at his Crawford, Texas ranch over the weekend with his National Security Adviser, Condoleezza Rice ( news - web sites). Next Wednesday, he will meet with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

"We'll continue to consult," he said. "Listen, it's a healthy debate for people to express their opinion.

"But America needs to know, I'll be making up my mind based upon the latest intelligence, and how best to protect our own country plus our friends and allies," Bush added.

NO CONSENSUS

Former U.S. national security adviser Brent Scowcroft, a key member of the previous Bush administration who helped build a coalition for the Gulf War ( news - web sites) against Iraq, reiterated his concerns in a Thursday Wall Street Journal opinion piece.

"An attack on Iraq at this time would seriously jeopardize, if not destroy, the global counter-terrorist campaign we have undertaken," Scowcroft wrote.

"There is a virtual consensus in the world against an attack on Iraq at this time. So long as that sentiment persists, it would require the U.S. to pursue a virtual go-it-alone strategy against Iraq, making any military operations correspondingly more difficult and expensive," he continued.

Other key Republicans have also voiced concern, warning that Bush has failed to make a strong case for an attack on Iraq and that a war could undermine the U.S. fight against global terrorism and destabilize the Middle East even further.

U.S. House of Representatives Majority Leader Dick Armey, a Texas Republican, has said the United States has no business attacking the oil exporter without sufficient provocation.

Supporters of Bush's approach to Iraq say the U.S. war on terrorism, launched in retaliation for the attacks in New York and Washington that killed some 3,000 people, included preventing such attacks before they occur.

The public debate on a possible U.S. attack on Iraq has intensified in recent weeks with hearings on Capitol Hill about whether Washington should move militarily against Saddam.

After years of brutal rule, democracy has been effectively snuffed out in Iraq, leaving many to worry what would fill the political void were Saddam ousted.

Iraq is made up of Sunni Muslims, Saddam's ethnic group, and a larger Shia Muslim population, both with vastly different views on religion and nationalism. The other major ethnic group are Kurds, who have long sought self-rule and have controlled northern enclaves since 1991.

With Iraq being such a large oil producer, there is concern that any new government might not be strong enough to keep the already fragile nation intact after Saddam's departure.

Iraqi opposition leaders recently held meetings at the State Department to consult with the Bush administration.

After the Gulf War, the elder President Bush was criticized for failing to promote democratic reform in Iraq after his forces stood by while Saddam crushed widespread rebellions, killing thousands of his opponents. Now, Bush says he is determined to bring about "regime change" in Baghdad by whatever means he deems fit.

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