Bush Meets With Pelosi; Both Vow Cooperation

Hoyer, who faces a challenge for the job of majority leader from Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.), described the lunch session as a cordial meeting in which a variety of topics -- fiscal policy, Social Security, Medicare and Iraq, among others -- were discussed in general terms. He said Vice President Cheney also attended but said little beyond pleasantries.

"There was no point in time where we said, 'We'll support this, and the president would support that.' That was not the point of the meeting," Hoyer said. He said Pelosi "clearly made the point that the American people believe that we are doing in Iraq is not working, and we need to address it. . . . The president said, 'I hope we can discuss that.' "

Pelosi has indicated that the first order of business when the new House convenes will be a package of bills touted during the campaign that include raising the minimum wage, cutting student loan rates and allowing the federal government to negotiate lower drug prices with pharmaceutical companies -- which Congress barred when it approved a new Medicare drug plan for seniors.

On some issues, Democrats are plainly hoping to put Bush on the defensive with legislation they believe is popular with the American people -- confronting Bush with a choice of whether to go along or fight on unfavorable terrain.

"They are not going to invite each other to their respective Christmas dinners, but I think there's an agenda that Pelosi has put on the table that the president could embrace," said John Podesta, the president of the Center for American Progress and a former Clinton White House chief of staff. "It's kind of galling to him to do it, but the public would reward him. Having to explain to the American people why you wouldn't want the authority to negotiate with drug companies about prices would be hard to do."

Edward Kutler, a Washington lobbyist and former aide to onetime GOP Speaker Newt Gingrich (Ga.), said the Democrats seem to be dangling "veto bait" before the president that could "poison the well" before too long. "There's possibility for bipartisan compromise," he said, "but there's a limited window and there's a limited universe of issues."

"A lot of Republicans are going to say, the Democrats won -- let's let the Democrats produce legislation and see what can be done," he added.

Once the honeymoon ends, said John J. Pitney Jr., a congressional expert at Claremont McKenna College, "not a lot" will get done. "The relationship is going to be a mix between cooperation and confrontation, but given the chemistry, confrontation is going to be much more prevalent," he said.

Bush could work w ith a Democratic legislature when he was a governor. But, referring to the late conservative Democratic legislative leader in Texas, Pitney asked: "Does Nancy Pelosi look like Bob Bullock? Congressional Democrats are quite different from their counterparts in Austin."

White House counselor Dan Bartlett said of the Pelosi-Bush-Hoyer session: "It genuinely was a positive meeting. The attitude of the Democratic leaders was one of cooperation."

Referring to energy, immigration and education, Bartlett added: "There are issues when you peel back the rhetoric where you find greater consensus."