Donald Lambro looks at the widening rift in the Democratic party over war in Iraq.

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The split in the party between anti-war doves and defense hawks is widening as Mr. Bush pursues his policy of pre-emptive action against nations harboring and financing terrorist groups. Democrats are torn between the need to mount a war against rogue nations and alienating its noisy anti-war left wing that makes up a large part of its political base.

As President Bush prepares to give the order to take down Saddam's hated regime and destroy his chemical and biological weapons, Mrs. Pelosi, Mr. Daschle and their allies are beating the anti-war drums louder than ever.

"I do not believe that going to war now is the best way to rid Iraq of weapons of mass destruction," Mrs. Pelosi said in a major speech on Iraq before the Council of Foreign Relations.

George Mitchell and his anti-war allies wanted to impose economic sanctions on Saddam after he invaded and seized oil-rich Kuwait and looked to Saudi Arabia as his next victim. Similarly, Mrs. Pelosi wants to continue the inspections and diplomacy indefinitely as Saddam continues to arm himself.