Bush's proposals would narrow the U.S. legal interpretation of the Geneva Conventions in a bid to allow tougher interrogations and shield U.S. personnel from being prosecuted for war crimes.

But Bush's former secretary of state, Colin Powell, endorsed efforts to block the president's plan.

Powell lent his support to three Republican senators Thursday saying that Congress must not pass Bush's proposal to redefine U.S. compliance with the Geneva Conventions, a treaty that sets international standards for the treatment of prisoners of war.

Powell sent a letter to Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., one of the Republican lawmakers seeking limits to legislation on interrogations, in the latest sign of GOP division over White House security.

''The world is beginning to doubt the moral basis of our fight against terrorism,'' said Powell, who served under Bush and is a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. ''To redefine Common Article 3 would add to those doubts. Furthermore, it would put our own troops at risk.''

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One, Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M., earlier this year confronted Bush over his wiretapping program at a GOP retreat. Now she is the sponsor of a bill embraced by House GOP leaders -- but not the White House -- that would restrict the domestic surveillance program and step up congressional oversight.

A member of the National Security Council under Bush's father, Wilson is facing a tough election challenge in her home state. A day earlier, Republicans abruptly canceled a scheduled committee vote on her bill that was expected to send it to the floor where the administration would push for amendments.