New direction on Iraq?

WASHINGTON — With the Democratic capture of Congress boosting pressure for a bipartisan approach to the Iraq war, a rough consensus is emerging that could lead to a new direction and a gradual U.S. disengagement from the costly conflict.

There are those on both sides of the aisle who favor giving the Iraqis firm deadlines for meeting a list of political goals, with the possibility of redeploying U.S. troops if the goals aren't met — a scenario that could lead to withdrawal.

Democratic and Republican leaders also have begun to agree on such ideas as accelerating a shift of U.S. troops from a combat to an advisory role; decentralizing Iraqi government power; and launching new diplomatic efforts to win support from Iraq's neighbors, including Iran and Syria.

But formidable obstacles remain. Most notably, there is no clear agreement on the key issue of troop withdrawals. Some Democrats have demanded a fixed timetable for a military exit, but incoming Democratic leaders haven't endorsed the idea.

Similarly, some Republicans — like Sen. John McCain of Arizona — have proposed an increase in U.S. troop strength, if only a temporary one, to give the Iraqi government one more chance to gain control of security in Baghdad. That idea may have lost crucial support with Tuesday's Democratic electoral success.

At the White House Friday, President Bush met with the Senate's top two Democrats, Sens. Harry Reid of Nevada and Richard Durbin of Illinois, and reiterated his pledge to seek bipartisan cooperation on Iraq as well as other issues.

Reid, the current minority leader, and Durbin conversed with the president and Vice President Dick Cheney for about 45 minutes. The president met with House Democratic leaders, including Rep. Nancy Pelosi, on Thursday.

"My attitude about this is that there is a great opportunity for us to show the country that Republicans and Democrats are equally as patriotic and equally concerned about the future and that we can work together," Bush said after Friday's session.

All of the options for Iraq have distinct disadvantages. Even so, administration officials, lawmakers, military commanders and others who agreed to be interviewed for this article said that this growing agreement, combined with the passing of a fractious midterm election season, offer a chance for headway.

Two people familiar with the discussions of the Iraq Study Group, a bipartisan commission, backed by the White House and Congress, that will suggest changes in policy, said that one fundamental point the panel is likely to make is that the U.S. commitment to Iraq cannot be open-ended.