Bush
PER
Bush
In concluding its nuclear deal with India, the Bush administration faces significant opposition in Congress and tough questions from its allies on whether the arrangement could set a precedent encouraging the spread of nuclear weapons to Iran and other potential foes of the United States. But Bush administration officials expressed confidence that they could overcome the skepticism of the critics, in part because support is nearly universal in the West and among Republicans and Democrats in Washington for building India's strength as a bastion of democracy and a counterweight to China in Asia. Critics of the deal in Congress and abroad are certain to focus on what they maintain is a double standard embraced by the Bush administration.