The Wall Street Journal
Bush Going Into the Lion's Den
In Test of Brittle Bipartisanship
By GERALD F. SEIB
January 27, 2007; Page A2
President Bush travels to Williamsburg, Va., next Saturday to meet with the entire House Democratic delegation. It will be a real "Kumbaya" moment for the nation's leaders, a sign of a new spirit of bipartisanship in Washington. Well, maybe. To some extent. While it lasts.
(snip)
The president's appearance was the brainchild of Rep. Rahm Emanuel, the chairman of the Democratic Caucus. He describes it as "a chance for him to speak to Democrats directly, confidentially, in a personal way." Similarly, a senior White House aide characterizes the appearance as a way to open some lines of communication, which in turn might help build some trust. As a former senior adviser in the Clinton White House, Rep. Emanuel knew that the idea made sense for both sides -- and that the president could hardly say no. For Democrats, the invitation is an important way to make good, at least in a symbolic way, on pledges they made to voters to try to work across the aisle. For Mr. Bush, refusing to walk into the Democratic lion's den would make him appear to be the one standing in the way of cooperation.
(snip)
But it's increasingly obvious there simply won't be any bipartisan understanding on the biggest issue of the year, Iraq. And, whatever its extent, the bipartisan impulse has a life span that runs, at best, until this summer's August recess. After that, nearly everything will be tinged by the 2008 presidential campaign. That leaves limited time, and a limited set of issues, energy and immigration the most interesting among them, for which something bipartisan can actually happen.
It's worth remembering that Mr. Bush has been here before. When he became governor of Texas, Democrats controlled both houses of the state legislature. Mr. Bush developed a reputation for working the Democratic side pretty well, and he got meaningful results to show for it. That's why talking directly to Democrats, while at least a few people are still humming "Kumbaya," makes sense for both sides.
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