Bush courts Congressional Democrats -- six years too late

[DeepModem Mom]

San Francisco Chronicle: Bush courts Democrats -- but may be 6 years too late
Edward Epstein, Chronicle Washington Bureau
Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Washington -- Hoping to avoid a lame-duck final two years in the White House, President Bush is openly wooing moderate and conservative House Democrats as potential allies on a variety of issues as their party prepares to take control of Congress in January.

But the president's effort is running up against a major obstacle. The Democrats he has targeted for cooperation are the same lawmakers who are most critical of the huge budget deficits and increased national debt that have been amassed during Bush's six years in the presidency. They also want major changes in Bush's Iraq policy and have pledged their support for Democratic Speaker-to-be Nancy Pelosi's "six for '06'' platform of major legislative items that she will push in the early days of the new Congress.

Bush met with leaders of the 44-member Blue Dog Coalition and the 62-member New Democrat Coalition at the White House last Friday, at his invitation, and all pledged to try to cooperate in the new Congress. But beneath the surface, the tension and the Democrats' pique at being ignored by the Bush White House until now were obvious.

"It was productive,'' Rep. Mike Ross, D-Ark., a Blue Dog leader, said after the session that lasted almost an hour. "It was a good first step toward opening a line of communication.

"But it took losing control of the House to make him do it.''...

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/12/12/MNGN7MTPEH1.DTL

[AndyA]

1. I hope the Dems are not fooled by Bush's phony invitation.

They need to remember how they've been shut out from EVERYTHING for the last six years. Closed door meetings. Sneaky, underhanded tactics on the part of the GOP.

And the very second the Dems' BULLSHIT METER starts to sense something, I hope they slam the door in the MoFo's face!

Enough is enough - Bush has broken laws, lied, put the country into bankruptcy, stolen from the poor to give to the rich. He need to be held accountable for those actions. Justice must be swift, and severe. No breaks for Bush, he hasn't given anyone else any!

[gumby]

2. Bush will do what he did in Texas.

He will sign bills that he can not stop and then take credit for them. He will then crow about being a 'uniter, not a divider.' He will sing about how he has created a 'new tone' in Washington.

This is what he did before and this is what he'll do again.

[opihimoimoi]

3. The EXPEDIENCY of the MOVE is so OBVIOUS.....How Shallow of the Dufus Dude?

Very....

[PVnRT]

4. Not all Dems

He met with Blue Dogs, with whom he will likely try to forge "bipartisan" legislation. The Progressives will be left in the dirt.