Bush pays a visit to House Democrats

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – President Bush, forced by necessity to reach out to some of his strongest adversaries, appealed directly to House Democrats on Saturday to work with him to reform the immigration system, limit the cost of Social Security, curb the consumption of gasoline and balance the federal budget.

Visiting the Democrats’ annual retreat for the first time since 2001, the president told lawmakers there are “big things” they could accomplish by working together and sought to defuse any bad blood with self-deprecating humor. He opened his public remarks with an allusion to his tendency to mispronounce the name of the rival party by calling it the Democrat Party, seen by many party activists as a calculated insult.

“I appreciate you inviting the head of the Republic Party,” Bush said to laughter. He drew scattered applause a few moments later when he used the correct name in calling on the “Democratic Party” to work with him to address the mounting future liabilities of Social Security and Medicare.

Democrats rose to applaud Bush before and after the speech, a sign of the outwardly cordial and respectful nature of the day’s session.

Democrats had a rare opportunity to directly question the president, using a private session after Bush’s speech to press him on Iraq, immigration, global warming, the deficit and the absence of Hurricane Katrina and veterans’ issues in his recent State of the Union address. While Bush asked Democrats to keep the conversation private, some people present said he gave no ground on his basic position on the war but was up front in talking about its impact on the populace.

According to some Democrats present, Rep. Susan Davis, D-Calif., asked Bush about her concern that the military is fighting a war without the rest of the country sharing the sacrifice. Bush said he disagreed with that proposition because the war is psychologically draining for the entire country and, according to the Democrats there, said it is “sapping our souls” in some ways.

Bush also defended his plan to send an additional 21,500 troops to Iraq, saying they would operate under new rules of engagement and that they could clear and hold troublesome areas.

The friendly tone, as described by officials on both sides of the day’s session, was a marked change from a campaign season of heated rhetoric from both Bush and the Democrats and follows six years of mistrust and lack of cooperation on both sides. As he closed his unsuccessful campaign last year to hold on to GOP majorities in Congress, Bush described the Democratic war strategy as, “The terrorists win, and America loses.” In a 2004 interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, now House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., described Bush an “incompetent leader.”

Deep divisions remain, especially on the war, and despite the talk of bipartisan goodwill, Pelosi was already making plans Saturday morning for symbolic showdowns with the White House on international affairs. Before Bush arrived at the Kingsmill Resort for the House members’ strategy session, she told her caucus that they would be voting on a no-confidence resolution on the president’s plan to send additional troops.