Hamstrung by the collapse of his Republican majority in Congress, President George Bush faced the humbling task on Thursday of reaching across party lines to top Democrats swept to power by voter anger over his Iraq policy.
Bush’s fence-mending talks with Democratic leaders follow word that they have won enough seats to take control of the US Senate and will control both houses of Congress for the first time in 12 years.
Reflecting a reshaped political landscape for his final two years in office, Bush announced the resignation on Wednesday of Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, the first victim of the Republicans’ heavy losses in Tuesday’s midterm elections.
A longtime Bush loyalist, Rumsfeld had become a lightning rod for critics of the Iraq war.
Trying to salvage the rest of his presidency, Bush promised to strike a new tone of bipartisanship after years of partisan rancour. He insisted the voters’ message was clear.
”The American people want their leaders in Washington to set aside partisan differences, conduct ourselves in an ethical manner, and work together to address the challenges facing our nation,” he told a news conference on Wednesday.
Democrats remained wary but called for a ”fresh start,” including a bipartisan summit on Iraq.
The Iraq war was expected to be the main focus of a White House luncheon on Thursday to which Bush invited incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer.
Bush conceded that voter discontent with Iraq played a role in Tuesday’s election ”thumping” by Democrats. He also acknowledged his Iraq policy was ”not working well enough, fast enough” but refused to back down.
”I’m committed to victory,” he said as he nominated former CIA director Robert Gates to replace Rumsfeld.
Democrats have yet to agree on a single approach to Iraq but they see the election outcome as repudiation by voters of Bush’s policy amid mounting US casualties and unrelenting sectarian violence.
More leverage for Democrats
Control of key House committees — with investigative powers and budget oversight — could give Democrats more leverage in influencing Iraq policy as well as the ability to cripple his domestic legislative agenda if they see fit.
Without bipartisan cooperation, split control of the legislative and executive branches could be a recipe for gridlock with the 2008 presidential race looming.
Seeking to stave off lame-duck status, Bush appeared ready to extend an olive branch to Pelosi, a California liberal and the first woman to hold the House’s top job. She and Bush had traded insults during a bitter election campaign.
It would mark a return to Bush’s roots as Texas governor where he was known for reaching across the aisle to Democrats. He ran for president in 2000 as a ”uniter, not a divider”.
Democrats gained about 30 seats to take control of the House in Tuesday’s election.
Media reports on Wednesday night said Democrats had sewn up enough seats to take the Senate as well when James Webb defeated Republican Sen. George Allen in the closely contested Virginia race.
Webb led Allen by about 7 000 votes out of 2,3-million cast. A senior adviser to the Allen campaign told Reuters ”the senator is awaiting the full recanvassing, which is progressing quickly and looks like it should be wrapped up by mid- to late afternoon tomorrow [Thursday]”.
If the numbers continue to favour Webb, Allen ”has made it clear to staff, to me in particular that he has absolutely no intention of dragging this out,” the adviser said. – Reuters