Bush to get to bottom of WMD row, pats Kay

President George W. Bush said on Monday he would appoint an independent commission to investigate discrepancies in intelligence used to justify the war against Iraq, reversing earlier opposition to a probe. ‘‘I want to know all the facts,’’ he said.

He also said that before moving ahead with the commission, he wanted to meet soon with David Kay, the former chief US weapons hunter in Iraq, who told a Congressional hearing last week that much of the intelligence about Iraq’s alleged weapons of mass destruction was wrong. ‘‘I appreciate his service,’’ Bush said of Kay. Senior Bush administration officials said Bush would announce establishment of the commission in the next couple of days. Work was being done to select the expected nine members of the bipartisan commission. The commission was expected to be given until next year to report back, instead of this year as Democrats demand.

This was seen as an attempt to avoid having the probe’s results emerge as a campaign issue, as Democratic challengers attempt to derail the President’s re-election bid in November. About nine members are expected to be picked for the commission. Some will be experts outside the government, while others could be members of Congress. They will include both Republicans and Democrats, officials said.

Meanwhile, Bush today sent to the Congress a $2.4 trillion budget which featured massive increases on military spending and a record 521 billion dollar deficit which he blamed on recession in 2001 and the ongoing war on terrorism.