Weakened Bush, Democrats seek common ground on way ahead (Roundup)

Feb 3, 2007, 19:30 GMT

Washington - Democratic lawmakers got a rare visit Saturday from US President George W Bush and said they see possible common ground on climate change and job creation - but not on the war in Iraq.

Bush spoke at the annual retreat of lower-house Democratic lawmakers for the first time in six years, a weakened leader reaching out to political foes who have swept Bush's Republicans into the minority in Congress.

'I think the president came today in a very civil and collegial manner,' James Clyburn, the number three Democrat in the House of Representatives, told reporters in televised remarks after the closed-door meeting in historic Williamsburg, southwest of Washington.

Democrats will look closely at Bush's funding requests for the war in Iraq, which he is due to present to Congress along with an overall 2008-2012 budget on Monday, Clyburn said. The centre-left party accuses Republicans of rubber-stamping Bush's war funding when they controlled Congress during the first six years of his presidency.

'The days of the blank check, for example for the Iraq war, are over,' said Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat who became Speaker of the House after her party's November electoral victory.

Pelosi said she believes Bush and the Democrats could work together on an 'innovation agenda' to create new, well-paying jobs for Americans; making the US less dependent on foreign oil and fighting global warming; and moving forward on sweeping immigation- law reform that languished in the last Congress.

Bush spoke to some 175 Democrats attending the meeting, then answered questions topics, most of them on domestic topics, participants said.

On climate change, he expressed 'his concern and commitment to getting a handle on carbon dioxide and global warming,' said House majority leader Steny Hoyer.

Bush last month for the first time called climate change a 'serious challenge' and outlined ways to cut US petrol consumption. On Friday, an international panel of scientists in Paris issued a warned that global warming is set to worsen and blamed man-made greenhouse-gas emissions as the 'very likely' culprit.

Bush was less specific about what he discussed with the Democrats, but he called the morning meeting 'relaxed, informative and enjoyable.'

'We don't always agree. That's why we're in different parties. But we do agree about our country and we do agree about the desire to work together,' he said at a joint news conference with House Democratic leaders.

As expected, he refused to budge on war in Iraq. Democrats in the US Senate, backed by some Republicans, are working on a non-binding resolution that disapproves of Bush's plan to boost US troop strength in Iraq by 21,500 and House Democrats plan to offer a similar measure.

'The president really stood his ground on Iraq. He explained why he thought the additional troops were necessary and why the (troop) surge would work this time,' Pelosi said.

But Democrats said they saw signs of a new bipartisan spirit in news reports that Bush's draft budget offers more federal money for grants to university students, a point pushed by the Democrats.

While ideologically on opposite sides, Bush and the Democratic-led Congress face pressure to work together because both parties want to present results to US voters for the 2008 presidential election.

Bush is constitutionally barred from seeking a third term and candidates on both sides are already jostling for position, including several prominent members of the US Senate.