Bush, Democrats search for Iraq war compromise

By Steve Holland and Richard Cowan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats on Wednesday failed to override President George W. Bush's veto of Iraq war funding legislation that would force a troop pullout timetable, prompting the start of tense negotiations on a compromise.

Bush welcomed somber Democratic leaders to the White House shortly after the veto override attempt failed in the House of Representatives and said he was confident an agreement could be found on a bitterly debated $124 billion war funding bill.

"Yesterday was a day that highlighted differences," Bush said of Tuesday's veto. "Today is a day where we can work together to find common ground."

Democratic leaders called the session positive but insisted their main goal is to find a way to end the four-year-old Iraq war, in which 3,300 Americans and countless Iraqis have been killed.

"Whatever our differences, we owe it to the American people to find our common ground. Of course, we must stand our ground if we can't find it. But we must strive to find that common ground," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California.

No easy compromise was within reach.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said he would like to see an agreement by the end of May.

White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and McConnell are to meet on Thursday for some initial soundings.

But Bush added to partisan tensions by charging in a veto message sent to Capitol Hill that Democrats were acting out of their constitutional bounds by trying to legislate a troop pullout that would begin this year.

He said the legislation was unconstitutional because "it purports to direct the conduct of the operations of the war in a way that infringes upon the powers vested in the presidency by the Constitution, including as commander in chief of the armed forces."

The Constitution gives Congress authority to approve the U.S. budget and lawmakers in the past have used that power to force changes in foreign policy.

Reid was dismissive.

"For him to talk about something being unconstitutional, that's a little unusual, and I don't want to get into the other things that have been done with this administration which have clearly been unconstitutional," Reid said.

The House override vote was 222-203, far short of the two-thirds majority needed, but it showed growing support in the House for pulling the troops out of a war that is testing the patience of the American people.

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