A Loud Message for Bush

Voters in the US soundly rejected policies of the Bush administration and the Republican Party by giving Democrats a secure majority in the House of Representatives and possibly even a slim majority in the Senate. All 435 members of the House ran for reelection and 33 of the 100 senators. The race in Virginia, too close to call, will determine which party controls the Senate. The shift in power for Congress – based on several races with narrow margins of victory – means that any legislation approved in the US will require bipartisan approval. Exit polls suggest that the Iraq war is a major concern for voters, but that they do not want an abrupt withdrawal. Demonstrating he understood the implications of the election, President George Bush announced that Robert Gates, former director of the Central Intelligence Agency, will replace Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, signaling a change in how the war will be managed. Analysts suggest that the Democratic leadership and President George Bush might find other points of agreement over the next two years on energy policy, including conservation, as well as immigration reform. – YaleGlobal