Hill, White House Draw Battle Lines

"Present us with what needs to be done, not some arbitrary figure," Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said.

Democratic leaders have clearly staked out their ground on Iraq in preparation for their return to the debate on that issue next month. "The confrontation is going to be historic in September," said Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.), who plans to put binding troop withdrawal language on a military spending bill.

But behind such bravado, some Democrats have shown a willingness to compromise. A pattern has emerged: Congress, especially the House, produces legislation almost designed to anger the White House, but, in the end, the president signs a bill he can live with. That began with the war funding bill earlier this year, but it picked up steam last week with the measure to institute the homeland security recommendations of the commission that investigated the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

The Democratic leadership is working closely with the administration's director of national intelligence to update the law governing electronic surveillance, over the opposition of party activists.

A senior House leadership aide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to reporters, said no one wants confrontation on such a politically sensitive issue. Even the expected showdown over spending this fall may not live up to its billing, he said.

"The guys at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue are not afraid of being confrontational, being unreasonable, but, at the end of the day, somebody in Washington has to be the adult and get things done," said Rep. David Wu (D-Ore.), who helped negotiate the homeland security bill.

White House officials bristle at the suggestion that they are trying to pick fights with Congress. When Democrats complained about a proposed line in last Saturday's presidential radio address -- in which Bush was to say that every day Congress puts off reform of wiretapping laws increases the danger to the nation -- the White House took it out.

But the officials say Democrats are routinely trying to push beyond reasonable limits. Negotiations over the farm bill were proceeding well, they say, until Democrats slipped in a last-minute provision on taxing the profits on foreign corporations to offset new spending on food stamps and nutrition.

Yet White House officials make little effort to deny that they are taking an especially hard line on spending this year compared with years past, and that they think it will pay off politically -- especially in keeping grumbling conservatives in the fold. They also see Congress-bashing as a potentially useful political tool.

With Bush's approval ratings at historic lows, Democrats relish the fight. Pelosi released a long list of the programs that Bush wants to cut and that Democrats want to restore, including those involving vocational and special education, the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, rural health, heating and housing assistance for low-income people, and grants for local law enforcement.

"When they say 'Take it or leave it,' as they do on many issues, there's no chance for compromise," said Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.). "When they're willing to work with us, we can make progress."