Bush seeks to rally Republican lawmakers as approval ratings slump

Facing slumping approval ratings,US President George W. Bush sought to rally congressional Republicans on Thursday by giving upbeat assessment of Iraq and touting his domestic achievement.

Bush held a closed-door meeting on Capitol Hill with House and Senate Republicans. Lawmakers said Bush did not dwell on the Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal, which has troubled his administration in recent weeks.

Bush expressed his determination to stick to a June 30 deadline for handing over partial governing authority to Iraqis, and expressed confidence that his tax cuts would help turn the economy around, lawmakers said.

"He made it clear, if anyone had a doubt, that he is determinedto finish the job we started," Senator John Cornyn, Republican from Texas, said after the meeting. He said Bush was "straight-talking" and "confident."

Some Republicans in Congress have criticized the Bush administration for not keeping Congress informed over his plan over Iraq. They also felt unease to see Bush's approval ratings dropped to record lows amid worsening situation in Iraq and the prisoner abuse scandal.

As Bush tried to rally his fellow Republicans, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi lashed out at him, saying Bush's leadership and the actions taken in Iraq "demonstrate an incompetence in terms of knowledge, judgment and experience."

At a Capitol Hill news conference, Pelosi said when Bush decided to go to war, he even did not know the consequences of his action and how to accomplish the mission.

"The results of his action are what undermine his leadership," she said.

Source: Xinhua