Top White House officials are scrambling to prevent a showdown over the Iraq war that could tear apart the Republican Party and severely undermine President Bush's plan to increase U.S. troop levels.

White House officials are pleading with GOP senators to oppose any congressional resolution that specifically condemns Bush's effort to escalate the war effort in coming months, congressional sources said Friday morning. In private conversations, the officials are telling senators that the resolution would demoralize U.S. troops and hurt the GOP politically for years to come.

Bush allies are arguing that Republicans will damage their individual political interests as well. Their logic is that there is no anti-war constituency inside the Republican Party, pointing specifically to Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., a potential presidential candidate who has opposed the surge but not gained much traction with party activists. "That's a flat argument," the senior aide said. "That does not work."

The Bush White House is described as panicked by the prospects of mass defections and open to compromise. They have cause for concern: at least six Republicans, including Sen. John Warner of Virginia, have signed resolutions opposing the surge. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Nev., has not committed to a vote on the resolution next week. He is negotiating compromise language between Foreign Relations Chairman Joseph Biden, D-Del., and Warner, the panel's ranking Republican and an influential voice on military matters, to entice more GOP senators to support the measure.