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Bush admits government divided over Iraq, won't budge on policy

Story by CNN

12:21 p.m. Wednesday, January 24, 2007

The reaction from President Bush's State of the Union speech was not good, despite Bush's attempt to reach across the aisle.

Bush said Democrats and Republicans should be willing to reach across the aisle for the sake of achieving big things for the American people.

But when it came to Iraq, the President was steadfast, which drew ire from both parties.

The Congress President Bush addressed Tuesday night is much changed from his first six years in office.

The President began with a call for cooperation.

"We are not the first to come here with government divided and uncertainty in the air. Like many before us, we can work through our differences," he said.

But on Iraq, Bush is not budging.

"Our country is pursuing a new strategy in Iraq and I ask you to give it a chance to work," he said. "And I ask you to support our troops in the field and those on their way.

Responding for Democrats was Sen. Jim Webb, who advocated diplomacy to get U.S. soldiers off violent Iraqi streets.

"This country has patiently endured a mismanaged war for nearly four years," Webb said. "Many, including myself, warned even before the war began that it was unnecessary, that it would take our energy and attention away from the larger war against terrorism."

An array of domestic issues -- some that enjoy bipartisan support -- rounded out the speech. The president called for cutting gas consumption by 20 percent the next ten years, raising fuel-efficiency standards for cars, immigration reform including a guest-worker program and a tax deduction for individuals who buy health insurance on their own and not through employers.

Another sign the President was playing to his opposition-led audience was an admission. Bush said the sectarian violence in Baghdad was not the fight we entered, but added, it is the fight we're in.

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