Bush, Democrats to meet today on Iraq - Yahoo! News

Bush, Democrats to meet today on Iraq - Yahoo! News: "Bush, Democrats to meet today on Iraq " By CHARLES BABINGTON, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 1 minute ago WASHINGTON - President Bush showed little appetite for compromise Wednesday, hours ahead of a session with congressional leaders aimed at crafting a new bill to fund the war in Iraq. Fresh from his Tuesday night veto of spending legislation that set timelines for U.S. troop withdrawals, Bush stuck firmly to his demands on what a follow up bill should look like. The Democrats who control Capitol Hill, and their Republican counterparts, were due at the White House Wednesday afternoon, not long after a planned attempt in the House — sure to fail — to override Bush's veto. "I am confident that with good will on both sides that we can move beyond political statements and agree on a bill that gives our troops the funds and flexibility to do the job that we asked them to do," the president said in a speech in Washington before The Associated General Contractors of America. Of the original bill pushed through Congress by Democrats, Bush said: "It didn't make any sense to impose the will of politicians over the recommendations of our military commanders in the field." The president defended his argument that U.S. troops must remain in Iraq to help stabilize that country, even as he predicted that "casualties are likely to stay high." "If I didn't think it was necessary for the security of our country, I wouldn't put our kids in harm's way," Bush said.