WASHINGTON, March 7 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - In light of statements criticizing the “war on terror” made by a member of the U.S. Congress late last week, the U.S. legislative body is preparing a joint resolution showing support for the war, reported news agencies Tuesday.

Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (Democrat-South Dakota) caused a stir by questioning the direction of the war effort in Afghanistan, criticizing the U.S. administration's war, charging that it had undergone an "expansion without at least a clear direction."

Daschle told reporters last week he believed that if the war ended without the United States finding Osama bin Laden, other leaders of Al-Qaeda and Taliban supreme leader Mullah Mohammed Omar, the mission would have failed. Some Republicans criticized him for the remarks.

Coming less than a week after Daschle’s remarks, both Democratic and Republican Senate leaders will endorse the resolution.

In a draft copy of a resolution obtained by CNN, the cable news channel reported that Daschle himself, along with Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott (Republican-Mississippi), will introduce the joint resolution, which could come before the Senate as early as Wednesday.

The resolution will state that "The Senate stands united with the president in the ongoing effort to destroy Al-Qaeda," referring to the network headed by Bin Laden.

Daschle had clamored Sunday for Congress to be treated as a "co-equal branch of government," calling for more information on the war on terror and the "shadow government" devised to ensure continuity if the executive branch is wiped out by terrorists.

"What I am afraid of is not having all the information, not being the co-equal branch of government, as we make these decisions that I think are so important," Daschle told Fox television.

He stated that Congress must have certain "operational information" to properly assess the need for U.S. President George W. Bush's requested $48 billion increase for the 2003 defense budget.

"We talk about going into Yemen. We're talking now about going into the Philippines and other places. And I think, before we go into a lot of these other locations, I think it is important for us to better understand what our purpose is," Daschle told Fox News Sunday.

Lott, who had bristled at Daschle's remarks last Thursday, told NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday that his main complaint was "the timing and the tone. It appeared to be a criticism" at a time when Americans are showing a needed "sense of genuine patriotism and unity."

He said Bush "needs us to work with him and help him. And any sign that we are losing that unity, or [any] crack in that support, will be, I think, used against us overseas."

Hence, the current preparation of the joint resolution expressing support for the war.

As for the notion of a "shadow government," Daschle told NBC "the purpose is laudable."

"But certainly," he said, "there has to be somebody in Congress who knows it's going on. And certainly, we ought to take into account whether or not, as co-equal branches of government, Congress and the judiciary shouldn't be included, as well."

He charged that Congress had been "left in the shadow, so to speak."

"We don't know what the role is, what their current authority is, what their purpose is at this point, other than to be prepared if an emergency of some kind would take place," Daschle told Fox.

U.S. officials last week confirmed the deployment of a "shadow government" to ensure continuity in the event the executive branch is wiped out in a terrorist attack.