Bush's Allies Struggle to Keep War Bills

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. meets with reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2006. McCain and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., are working on finding a compromise with the White House on how terrorist suspects should be prosecuted. (AP Photo/Lawrence Jackson) (Lawrence Jackson - AP)

For the White House, there was some good news.

The House Intelligence Committee approved by voice vote a bill that would put into law the administration's warrentless wiretapping program. The sponsor, Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M., had rewritten the measure to make it more Bush's liking. The Judiciary Committee later endorsed a similar version, 20-16.

But Wilson's revision, likely to draw Bush's support, is the bill that probably will make it to the full House.

The concession on imminent attacks would come at a price for the president.

Under Wilson's revised bill, the president may only conduct the secret surveillance under specific conditions. For example, the president must notify Congress within five days of authorizing the surveillance, name the entity that poses the threat and state the reason for believing the attack is imminent.

Even if the House and Senate pass versions of the wiretapping legislation in the next week, the differences would not be resolved until a lame-duck congressional session after the Nov. 7 elections, Wilson said.

Meanwhile on detainees, talks continued between the White House and Republican Sens. John Warner of Virginia, John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who are opposed to the president's proposal on detainees.

The House's endorsement of Bush's detainee policy did not mean Republicans on the Judiciary Committee were in lockstep with Bush. Two Republicans _ Reps. Bob Inglis, R-S.C., and Jeff Flake, R-Ariz. _ voted against the Bush bill.

Neither side in the Senate had the 60 votes required to overcome a filibuster and move a detainee bill forward. Negotiators said a deal still was possible.

"Progress has been made," said Warner, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Frist, who supports Bush's position, said he was "hopeful that very soon agreement can be reached."

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Associated Press writers Anne Plummer Flaherty and Katherine Shrader contributed to this report.