Obama chief of staff pick meets with Republicans

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Barack Obama sent his top aide to Capitol Hill Thursday to tell leaders of the rival Republican party that he needed their help to confront the challenges facing the country.

Rahm Emanuel, a combative Democratic congressman from Illinois who is Obama's pick for White House chief of staff, met with Republican leaders of the Senate before holding separate discussions with their counterparts in the House (of Representatives).

Obama wants Emanuel to be his point man in pushing through an ambitious legislative agenda. He has also promised to improve relations between the Democratic and Republican parties, bitterly divided after eight years of President George W. Bush's administration.

While some Republicans have criticized Emanuel's appointment, calling him a highly partisan insider, Emanuel himself has offered conciliatory comments and preached unity.

"The challenges facing the country require that people from both parties work together to solve those problems," Emanuel told reporters after meeting Republican leaders in the Senate.

Describing the 30-minute meeting as "very, very good," he said he told the lawmakers Obama would welcome their ideas on taxes, health care, energy policy and national security.

Emanuel took no questions from reporters and made no mention of the auto bailout plan being argued by lawmakers.

The list of priorities on Obama's domestic agenda for next year is long. Despite the Democratic majorities in both houses of Congress, Obama will need cooperation from some Republicans to accomplish his goals.

One of his biggest short-term aims is to push through an economic stimulus bill. He will also seek an overhaul of Wall Street regulations and a revamping of the healthcare system to expand medical coverage to the roughly 46 million Americans without insurance.

(Reporting by Caren Bohan in Chicago and Ross Colvin in Washington, editing by Vicki Allen)