Majority Leader Tom Daschle demanded that Bush apologize to Hawai'i's senior Democrat and other war veterans in the Senate. Inouye followed with a rare off-the-cuff Senate speech, declaring his concern for America, lamenting the possibility of war against Iraq, and accusing Bush of being divisive.

"It grieves me when my president makes statements that would divide this nation," Inouye said, returning to the Senate after a day at home nursing what his staff said was a mild illness.

"This is a time when we should be working together, debating this issue," Inouye said. "It is American to question the president. It is American to debate this issue."

Daschle challenged Bush to tell Inouye, who lost his right arm in a World War II battle, that he was not concerned about the security of the American people.

"The president ought to apologize to Senator Inouye and every veteran who has fought in every war who is a Democrat in the U.S. Senate," Daschle said in a Senate floor speech.

The quote Daschle cited came during a visit that Bush made earlier this week in Trenton, N.J., referring to Senate debate on homeland security. In a speech, the president said, "The House responded, but the Senate is more interested in special interests in Washington and not interested in the security of the American people."

Bush was referring to debate over a homeland security bill, but Daschle, Inouye and Sen. Robert Bird, D-W.Va., all took his words to apply to the debate over an invasion of Iraq as well.

Inouye spokeswoman Sandy Skousen said the senator had no prepared text for his speech.

Recalling his questioning of the Persian Gulf war, Inouye noted that war directed by the first President Bush ended before moving into Baghdad, where there would have been massive casualties: men, women and children, with "many, many, many body bags."

He also cautioned that war in Iraq would be fought by soldiers older than those who fought alongside him in World War II. In his regiment, Inouye said, only 4 percent of the soldiers had wives or children.

Today, he said, 77 percent of the men and women in the military have spouses.

"I think we should be concerned about their sensitivities," Inouye said.

"There are those who plan war and there are those who engage in war," he said.

Inouye noted that the Senate appropriations defense subcommittee, which he chairs, unanimously approved $356 billion for defense. This was done in the belief that "in order to avoid war, we should be prepared for war.

"I'm concerned about the security of this country," Inouye said. "I'm concerned about what history will say about this nation 50 years from now. Did we brutalize people or did we carry on ourselves as civilized people?"

Inouye echoed Bird, saying "To attack a nation that has not attacked us will go down in history as something that we should not be proud of."

The Hawai'i senator said he supports Bush as his president and was saddened by his criticism of the Democratically controlled Senate.

Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., criticized Daschle, Inouye and Bird for their statements, asking, "Who is the enemy here: The president of the United States or Saddam Hussein?"