WASHINGTON — Republican and Democratic congressional leaders both forecast a change in President George W. Bush’s Iraq war policy as the president prepared to sign legislation yesterday providing funds for US military operations through September 30.“I think the president’s policy is going to begin to unravel now,” said the Democratic leader of the House of Representatives, Speaker Nancy Pelosi. She described the just-passed measure as a disappointment because it did not force an end to US participation in the conflict.

At a separate news conference, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell predicted a change, and said Bush would show the way.

“I think the handwriting is on the wall that we are going in a different direction in the fall and I think the president is going to lead it,” he said.

McConnell said he expects Bush to announce his intentions on his own timetable.

The legislation that cleared Congress late Thursday night marked the end of a struggle in which Bush rejected an earlier bill because it contained a troop withdrawal timetable.

The White House said it expected to receive the replacement measure yesterday and that Bush would sign it — privately, with no fanfare other than a written announcement — as soon as it arrived at the White House.

“This effort shows what can happen when people work together,” Bush said after a visit to wounded troops at the National Naval Medical Center. “We’ve got a good bill that didn’t have timetables or tell the military how to do its job, but also sent a clear signal to the Iraqis that there’s expectations here in America ... about how to move forward.”

McConnell also emphasised that the Iraqis need to make progress. “We’ve given the Iraqi government an opportunity here to have a normal country. And so far, they’ve been a great disappointment to members of the Senate on both sides,” he said.

Democrats say the drive to bring US troops home is far from over.

“We’re going to keep coming back and coming back,” said Rep. Rahm Emanuel, chairman of the Democratic caucus. Some Democrats say their victory in last November’s congressional elections gave them a mandate to change US Iraq war policy.

The war spending bill provides some $95 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and billions in domestic projects, including more than $6 billion for hurricane relief. The House voted 280-142 to pass the bill, followed by a 80-14 vote in the Senate.

Democratic presidential rivals Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama both voted against the bill.

“I fully support our troops but the measure fails to compel the president to give our troops a new strategy in Iraq,” said Clinton.

“Enough is enough,” Obama declared, adding that Bush should not get “a blank check to continue down this same, disastrous path.”

Their votes continued a shift in position for the two presidential hopefuls, both of whom began the year shunning a deadline for a troop withdrawal.

Sen. John McCain, a Republican presidential contender, said the two Democrats were embracing a “policy of surrender.”

“This vote may win favour with MoveOn and liberal primary voters, but it’s the equivalent of waving a white flag to al-Qaida,” said McCain. MoveOn.org is a grass-roots anti-war group that rose to prominence in last year’s elections.

Thursday’s legislative action capped weeks of negotiations with the White House, which agreed to accept some $17 billion more than Bush had requested as long as there were no restrictions on the military campaign.

The most critical votes on the war are likely to be cast in September when the House and Senate debate war funding for 2008. The September votes likely will come after Iraq war commander Gen. David Petraeus tells Congress whether Bush’s troop buildup plan is working. Also due by September is an independent assessment of progress made by the Iraqi government.