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Warner: Bush, Gates should keep Congress in loop on Iraq

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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The outgoing Republican chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee warned President Bush and Defense Secretary nominee Robert Gates on Tuesday to consult with Democrats before changing Iraq policy.

Speaking at the beginning of Gates' confirmation hearing, Sen. John Warner, R-Virginia, said consultations with Democrats who will assume congressional control in January would fulfill a "moral obligation" lawmakers have to those fighting in Iraq.

Warner said consultations should come after Bush reviews reports on Iraq being prepared by the nonpartisan Iraq Study Group, the Pentagon and other agencies involved in the war.

Warner also cautioned Gates to keep Congress in the loop on Iraq if his nomination is approved, quoting from a book Gates wrote about serving in the White House, "From the Shadows."

"I sat in the situation room in secret meetings for nearly 20 years under five presidents, and all I can say is that some awfully crazy schemes might well have been approved had everyone present not known and expected hard questions, debate and criticism from the Hill," Warner quoted from Gates' book.

Before heading to Capitol Hill, Gates met with the president at the White House for breakfast.

"I hope for speedy confirmation so he can get sworn in and get to work," Bush said in a brief statement afterward. (Watch why Gates is expected to be approved )

Gates, the 63-year-old president of Texas A&M University, was nominated on November 8, the day after Democrats took control of both houses of Congress in midterm elections dominated by concerns about the Iraq war.

GOP and Democratic leaders on the committee agreed to proceed with Gates' confirmation this year, rather than wait until the Senate changes guard in January. (Watch Gates' judgment day )

Donald Rumsfeld will continue in the post until the Senate approves his successor.

So far, no significant opposition to Gates' nomination has surfaced. Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid said he would be confirmed unless something "untoward" turns up during the hearings.

Gates served as national security adviser and CIA director during the administration of Bush's father, former President George H.W. Bush.

Gates' nomination process is expected to be much different than in 1987 when he was forced to withdraw his nomination as CIA director under the weight of the Iran-Contra affair.

Iran-Contra involved two secret operations during former President Ronald Reagan's administration which involved selling arms to Iran in exchange for U.S. hostages in Lebanon. It also involved supplying arms to the Contra guerrillas fighting the leftist government of Nicaragua.

The controversy plagued the final two years of Reagan's presidency and damaged the final political campaign of the senior Bush.

Showing signs he is unafraid to voice his opinion in an administration with a reputation for not receiving it well, Gates has criticized the handling of the war in Iraq. He has pledged to improve Pentagon postwar planning if he is confirmed.

Gates also endorsed the idea of engaging Iran and Syria for help in stabilizing Iraq, an opinion Bush does not share.

Gates made the comments in response to a Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation questionnaire.

"War planning should be done with the understanding that the post-major combat phase of operations can be crucial," Gates wrote in a 65-page written response.

But even Rumsfeld knew the war, in part, was not working and alternative strategies were necessary.

According to Saturday's New York Times, before he resigned, Rumsfeld told Bush in a November 6 classified memo that the administration's Iraq plan was not working. In a memo, Rumsfeld proposed various changes, including possible troop reductions. (Watch what senators say about Rumsfeld memo )

Until stepping down after his nomination, Gates was also a member of the Iraq Study Group, which on Wednesday will unveil its recommended changes in the administration's war strategy.

CNN's Ed Henry and Liz Flynn contributed to this report.

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