Congress failed to override President George W Bush's veto of legislation requiring the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, a defeat for anti-war Democrats that triggered immediate work on new legislation to pay for the war. Wednesday's vote in the House was 222-203, 62 shy of the two-thirds majority needed to override a veto.
With few exceptions, Republicans stood fast with Bush in the tactical clash.
"I'm confident we can reach agreement," the president said moments after the vote as he sat down at the White House with leaders of the Democratic-controlled Congress, who have vowed repeatedly to force him to change his war policy.
Democrats flashed defiance, yet signaled they were ready to make significant concessions such as jettisoning the troop withdrawal timetable and cutting some of the domestic projects that are part of the vetoed bill.
"Make no mistake, Democrats are committed to ending this war," Speaker Nancy Pelosi, senior member of the Democratic majority in the House of Representatives, said on a day of carefully scripted political drama.
"We hope to do so in unison with the president of the United States."
At the same time, Republicans who have helped Bush sustain his policy quickly signaled a new impatience with a war that has claimed the lives of more than 3,300 US troops and tens of thousands of Iraqis.
"Obviously the president would prefer a straight funding bill, no benchmarks, no conditions, no reports. Many of us on both sides of the aisle don't agree with that," said Republican Sen Susan Collins. - DDNews India
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