Breaking with long-running tradition, President Bush said he planned to send the Colombia Free Trade Agreement to Capitol Hill without prior mutual agreement, a move that sparked disapproval among Democratic leaders.

The White House has a long-established precedence of avoiding sending trade agreements to Capitol Hill until both parties have reached consensus. However, the White House said today it plans to send the plan to Congress without this prior agreement.

White House spokesman Tony Fratto said President Bush would send the agreement to comply with rules under the Trade Promotion Authority, which require Congress to hold an up or down vote on agreements within 90 legislative days. Fratto said Bush hoped the agreement would be voted on before the August congressional recess.

"We would prefer to have an agreement prior to sending legislation," Fratto said. "We're not trying to jam Congress by forcing them to consider it. We want to work in a bi-partisan way. But just as a practical matter, we would have to send some thing soon."

During remarks before the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Bush said passing the free trade agreement would be a strong sign of support for Colombia's efforts to crack down on FARC terrorists, most recently by crossing over the border into Ecuador to kill a senior FARC leader.

"This agreement would help President Uribe show his people that democracy leads to tangible benefits," Bush said today. "This agreement would help create new jobs in Colombia, which would make it harder to recruit people to violence and terrorism and drug trafficking. The agreement would signal to the region that America's commitment to free markets and free people is unshakable."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, California Democrat, said Bush's departure from established precedence does not help move the process forward.

"Any deviation from this normal procedure for the Colombia FTA could prove to be counterproductive and would work against both countries' long-term interests," Pelosi said in a statement.

Pelosi spokesman Brendan Daly said the recent tension on Colombia's borders with Ecuador and Venezuela do not escalate a need for quick adoption of the agreement.

"It has nothing to do with this," said Daly, who told The Washington Times that Pelosi is most concerned that the agreement doesn't include adequate protections for Colombian labor union leaders.

Jim Manley, a spokesman for Majority Leader Harry Reid, Nevada Democrat, echoed Pelosi's worry that the agreement would not scale back violence against union members.

"An attempt by President Bush to try to bully Congress would just add to the problems facing that FTA, and could have profound repercussions for the next president's trade agenda," Manley said.

--Carrie Sheffield, Web editor, The Washington Times