here. he realized he couldn't affect the decision itself, so at that point he switched gears to try and effect how the decision would be carried out and persuaded the president to get public support. >> the democrats are opposed to the war. george bush is happy to have this become an issue. bush actually pushes the idea of having a resolution supporting the use of force in iraq before the congressional elections so that members of congress will feel compelled to vote for it. >> congressional opposition in both houses finally came down to a few hard core liberals who worried congress was giving up its right to declare war. but it was a lonely fight when the white house invited a bipartisan crowd of supporters for an obvious show of power, opposition really began to melt. >> because i believe it is important for america to speak with one voice at this critical moment, i will vote to give the president the authority he needs. >> it was one of the hardest