Hours before the 8:15 p.m. EST Wednesday deadline, set by US President Bush, he met with his war council and the White House sent Congress formal notification of justification for war, AP reported.
The document says diplomacy has failed to protect America's security, and it links Saddam's regime with the al-Qaida network, implicated in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
Bush met Wednesday morning with Vice President Dick Cheney, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Colin Powell, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice and other members of his foreign policy team. Bush will take into account the opinion of military men for the start of the military operation.