Democrats 'to control US Senate'

Doughboy · #1 (**permalink**) 11-09-2006, 12:24 PM

This is very good news for the rest of the world !

hopefully it means Bush will go after this term of office

Bye bye bush - Good riddance to bad news !!

Democrats 'to control US Senate'

Democrats are set to win the final seat needed to take control of the US Senate, the Associated Press reports.

AP declared Democrat Jim Webb victor in Virginia by 7,236 votes over Republican incumbent George Allen. Official results have yet to confirm a win.

Democrats have already taken the House of Representatives, and Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has resigned.

Republican defeat in the mid-term polls has been blamed on the Iraq war, of which Mr Rumsfeld was a key architect.

President George W Bush named former CIA director Robert Gates as his new defence chief.

The president said the Republicans had taken a "thumping" in Tuesday's vote, in which the Democrats gained control of the House for the first time in 12 years.

The Senate race has been hanging on Virginia, where Mr Allen's aides were quoted as saying he did not want to drag out the process and was likely to make a decision in the coming hours.

Control of the Senate and its committees would give Democrats the right to hold hearings and approve presidential appointments, including those to the Supreme Court.

Mr Bush is due to begin trying to forge a working relationship with the Democrats by having lunch with Nancy Pelosi, who is set to become the speaker of the House.

'Tired of failures'

A win for Mr Webb would give the Democrats the six seats needed for a majority.

AP called the election for the Democrats after contacting election officials in the state's 134 localities for updated figures.

Correspondents say the call reflects the general view that it will be impossible for any recount to change the outcome.

Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid claimed victory in Virginia.

"The American people have spoken clearly and decisively in favour of Democrats leading this country in a new direction," he said in a statement.

"In Iraq and here at home, Americans have made clear they are tired of the failures of the last six years."

A victory by Mr Webb would give both parties 49 seats in the upper chamber.

Two independents have said they will vote with the Democrats, which would give the party the 51 votes they need to claim a majority for the first time since 2002.

The reported margin of victory in Virginia is small enough for a recount to be possible, but with 99% of votes now counted, it is thought to be virtually impossible for Mr Allen to make up sufficient ground to win.

'Fresh perspective'

President Bush said that he and Mr Rumsfeld had agreed that a "fresh perspective" was needed in Iraq.

Mr Rumsfeld had faced growing calls to quit as violence in Iraq has continued to spiral, three years after the US-led invasion.

"It's been quite a time," said Mr Rumsfeld in a short departing speech.

Ms Pelosi welcomed the resignation.

"I hope the departure of Mr Rumsfeld will mark a fresh start toward a new policy in Iraq, signalling a willingness on the part of the president to work with the Congress to devise a better way forward," she said.

**Spiral** · #2 (**permalink**) 11-10-2006, 07:25 PM

democrats or republicans , I think the both are the same and their international strategy is simiar exceping some misunderstood in some political perspectives...

lehal13 · #3 (**permalink**) 11-10-2006, 07:29 PM

yeah i agree with spiral

thornphlesh · #4 (**permalink**) 11-11-2006, 03:09 AM

the bottom line is its all about power, corruption and lies.

Doughboy · #5 (**permalink**) 11-11-2006, 11:07 AM

yeah theres no change really, but surely anything is better than bush ?

I have found myself really hating him, i think he is evil and a warmongerer !

just like Hitler