CRAWFORD, Texas ÷ White House lawyers have told President Bush he would not need congressional approval to attack Saddam Hussein's Iraq. Vice President Dick Cheney said yesterday inaction "could have devastating consequences for many countries, including our own."

Answering critics of the administration's campaign to oust Saddam, Cheney said, "What we must not do in the face of a mortal threat is to give in to wishful thinking or willful blindness."

Bush spokesman Ari Fleischer said White House counsel Al Gonzales advised Bush earlier this month that the Constitution gives the president authority to wage war without explicit authority from Congress. Fleischer and Cheney teamed up to counter growing criticism about Bush's "strike first" doctrine, particularly how it might be used to in a pre-emptive attack against Saddam and his weapons of mass destruction program.

"There are people who still think this is a 20th century world," Fleischer said as Bush vacationed at his nearby ranch. "In the age of terrorism, the calculation is entirely different."

Addressing a Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in Nashville, Tenn., Cheney made a strongly worded case for toppling Saddam. "This nation will not live at the mercy of terrorists or terror regimes," Cheney said.

Cheney said he recognized that many, including some prominent Republicans, were urging caution in confronting Saddam at this time. But he said they were displaying "deeply flawed" logic.

"We will not simply look away, hope for the best and leave the matter for some future administration to resolve," he said.

Despite the go-ahead from his legal advisers, administration officials said Bush has not ruled out seeking lawmakers' approval if he decides to attack Iraq.

"Any decision the president may make on a hypothetical congressional vote will be guided by more than one factor," Fleischer said.

"The president will consider a variety of legal, policy and historical issues if a vote were to become a relevant matter. He intends to consult with Congress because Congress has an important role to play."

Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said the decision of going to war "should not be treated like a technicality."

"For the good of the country and for the long-term success of whatever approach we take, President Bush should follow his father's lead and support a vigorous and constructive debate on Iraq," he said, through a spokesman.