Bush said to back inquiry into prewar intelligence

By The Washington Post

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WASHINGTON — President Bush has agreed to support an independent inquiry into the prewar intelligence that he used to assert that Saddam Hussein was stockpiling weapons of mass destruction, Republican and congressional sources said yesterday.

The shift by the White House, which had previously maintained that any such inquiry should wait until a more exhaustive weapons search has been completed, came after pressure from lawmakers in both parties and from the former chief U.S. weapons inspector in Iraq.

There was no official confirmation from the White House yesterday, but sources in the government said Bush's announcement of support for an independent commission is imminent.

The White House has not settled on what type of independent review it would favor and has not backed any specific plan.

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