Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Bush calls Pelosi and Hastert
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- One day after Democrats swept to the majority position in the House of Representatives, President Bush Wednesday wasted no time in reaching out to their leader, the presumptive new Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi.
But first, according to deputy White House press secretary Dana Perino, the president spoke to outgoing Speaker Dennis Hastert, thanking him for his hard work and leadership. "While we came up short, we're committed to working with Democrats to get things done for the country," Perino quoted Bush as saying. In his call to Pelosi, Bush congratulated the congresswoman who will presumably become the first female speaker of the House, Perino said, and the two pledged to work together in the final two years of the president's administration. Bush also called current minority whip Rep. Steny Hoyer, as well as other members of the Democratic and Republican leadership in the House. Throughout all the calls, Perino said, there was "a strong spirit of goodwill in the conversations." The deputy press secretary said Bush and the new leadership "will start strategizing about how they will get things done in the next Congress." Hoyer and Pelosi were invited to have lunch with the president Thursday, Perino said. "He is not the first president to see a Congress change and he won't be the last," Perino said. "While Congress has changed, the issues have not. We have plenty of time to get a lot done but not enough time to waste a single day." -- CNN White House Correspondent Elaine Quijano
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