Report concludes Bush, officials had more information

The report doesn't cite examples of differences.
combined dispatches
WASHINGTON -- A new congressional report made public Thursday concluded that President Bush and his inner circle had access to more intelligence and reviewed more sensitive material than what was shared with members of Congress when they gave Bush authority to wage war against Iraq.
Democrats said the 14-page report contradicted Bush's contention that lawmakers had seen all the evidence before U.S. troops invaded in March 2003, stating that the president and a small number of advisers, "have access to a far greater volume of intelligence and to more sensitive intelligence information."
The report does not cite examples of intelligence Bush reviewed that differed from what Congress saw. If such information is available, it would not be accessible to the report's authors. The Bush administration has routinely denied Congress access to documents, arguing it would have a chilling affect on deliberations. The report, however, concludes that the Bush administration has been more restrictive than its predecessors in sharing intelligence with Congress.
Charges disputed
The White House disputed both charges, noting that Congress often works directly with U.S. intelligence agencies and is privy to an enormous amount of classified information. "In 2004 alone, intelligence agencies provided over 1,000 personal briefings and more than 4,000 intelligence products to the Congress," an administration official said.
The report, done by the Congressional Research Service at the request of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., comes amid Democratic allegations that administration officials exaggerated Iraq's weapons capabilities and terrorism ties and then resisted inquiries into the intelligence failures.
Bush has fiercely rejected those claims. "Some of the most irresponsible comments -- about manipulating intelligence -- have come from politicians who saw the same intelligence I saw and then voted to authorize the use of force against Saddam Hussein," he said in a speech this week. Feinstein, who is on the Senate intelligence panel, disagreed. She said "the report demonstrates that Congress routinely is denied access to intelligence sources; intelligence collection and analysis."
Meanwhile, House Republican leaders drafted legislation on Thursday that rejects calls for withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq as "fundamentally inconsistent with achieving victory" and said they would force a vote today.
It would be the second time in five weeks that GOP leaders maneuvered for a vote on the war in the face of Democratic calls for a timetable for withdrawal.
Some Democrats accused Republicans of playing politics with the war while a group of their colleagues sent Bush a letter describing what they believe should be the U.S. position in Iraq.
Resolution for victory
The GOP resolution expresses the commitment of the House "to achieving victory in Iraq."
It honors the sacrifices of U.S. forces and praises Iraqis for voting in parliamentary elections Thursday. The election is "a crucial victory for the Iraqi people and Iraq's new democracy, and a defeat for the terrorists who seek to destroy that democracy," the resolution says.