Democrats completed their sweep to power in the United States Congress on Thursday, winning the last Senate seat and moving quickly from bitter campaign rhetoric to pledges to try to find common ground with President George Bush.
Faced with a new political landscape, Bush signalled a more conciliatory approach on Iraq as he and the new leaders in Congress vowed to work together, but conceded they would have differences.
”The election’s over. It’s time for a change,” said Democratic Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, who will become Senate majority leader. ”It’s time for bipartisanship, it’s time for open government, transparency, and it’s a time for results.”
The Democrats sealed control of both houses of Congress by taking a 51-49 majority in the Senate with former navy secretary Jim Webb’s defeat of Republican Senator George Allen in Virginia — a race so close it almost required a recount.
Allen, who lost by less than 10 000 votes, conceded defeat, ending two days of uncertainty after Tuesday’s elections. ”I do not wish to cause more rancour by protracted litigation which would, in my judgement, not alter the results,” Allen said.
Democrats easily seized control of the House, gaining about 30 seats. But wresting the Senate from Republicans hung on the outcome of the Webb-Allen race.
Bush had lunch at the White House with Nancy Pelosi, the California Democrat who was clearly pleased at the prospect of becoming the first woman Speaker of the House.
Bush called the talks, which included number-two House Democrat Steny Hoyer of Maryland and Vice-President Dick Cheney, constructive and friendly. He said with the elections over, it was time to address the US’s challenges.
Differences
”We won’t agree on every issue. But we do agree that we love America equally, that we’re concerned about the future of this country and that we will do our very best to address big problems,” Bush said.
Pelosi, who complained bitterly about Bush on the campaign trail, beamed as she sat next to the president beneath a portrait of George Washington in the Oval Office.
”I look forward to working in a confidence-building way with the president recognising that we have our differences and we will debate them, and that is what our founders intended, but we will do so in a way that gets results for the American people,” she said.
She pledged to represent everyone in the House. ”I understand my responsibility: of speaker of the House, of all of the House, not just the Democrats.”
Bush called Reid to congratulate him on the party’s takeover of the Senate and said ”he looks forward to meeting with him tomorrow at the White House”, said White House spokesperson Dana Perino.
Bush sounded willing to consider ideas for a shift in course in Iraq during remarks he made after meeting with his Cabinet. ”I’m open to any idea or suggestion that will help us achieve our goals of defeating the terrorists and ensuring that Iraq’s democratic government succeeds,” he said.
White House National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley said the power change in Washington offers ”an opportunity to make further changes and adjustments in what we’re doing in Iraq”.
”I think the president views this as a terrific opportunity,” he said.
The conciliatory tone of administration officials followed Bush’s announcement on Wednesday of Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld’s resignation. The nominee to replace Rumsfeld, former CIA director Robert Gates, is expected to have a more open mind on Iraq.
Democrats have made clear they will exert strong pressure on Bush for a policy shift in Iraq amid rising US casualties and violence.
Bush said the US has a responsibility to support its more than 149 000 troops in Iraq — an indirect challenge to those Democrats who have talked about cutting off funding for the Iraq mission.
While planning ahead to work with Democrats when they take over in January, Bush was scrambling to get the lame-duck session of Congress, which starts next week and will still be controlled by Republicans, to approve several items.
At the top of the list is a quick confirmation of Gates, as well as approval of legislation to permit wire tapping of terrorism suspects, a civilian nuclear deal with India, and Vietnam’s entry into the World Trade Organisation.
Confirmation hearings on Gates’s nomination were tentatively set for the week of December 4. — Reuters
Additional reporting by Tabassum Zakaria, Caren Bohan and Matt Spetalnick and Susan Cornwell