Rumsfeld quits as Democrats sweep US election

Washington, Nov 9: Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld resigned today after Democrats swept Republicans from power in the US Congress, delivering a stinging rebuke to President George W Bush and his Iraq war policies.

Bush said he was ''obviously disappointed'' by huge Democratic election gains fueled by voter anger over the Iraq war, and conceded in a news conference his Iraq policy was ''not working well enough, fast enough.'' He said he remained committed to victory in Iraq and there would be no quick withdrawal of US troops. But he and Rumsfeld, a lightning rod for war critics, agreed a ''fresh perspective'' was needed at the Pentagon, he said.

Democrats gained about 30 seats to take control of the House of Representatives and picked up five of the six Republican seats they need for a Senate majority. They led in the other race, in Virginia, putting them near control of both chambers of Congress for the first time in 12 years.

But a final decision on Senate control could be delayed by a potential recount and possible legal challenges in Virginia, dredging up memories of the 2000 presidential election recount that lasted five weeks.

Virginia Democrat James Webb led Republican Sen. George Allen by about 7,000 votes out of 2.3 million cast. The final vote counting could take a week, with a winner certified on November 27 and any recount stretching into December, leaving Senate control uncertain.

The Allen campaign indicated it did not plan to concede before the process ended. ''We'll see where the official tally stands on November 27 and we'll come back and visit with you then,'' Allen adviser Ed Gillespie told reporters in Richmond, Virginia.

US stocks dipped slightly on investor worries that control of the Senate was still too close to call but were up again by mid-afternoon after Rumsfeld's resignation and positive news from Microsoft Corp.

Democrats rolled up big election wins across the board, gaining six Republican governors' offices to take a national majority and give themselves a possible edge in the 2008 presidential race. They also won a majority of state legislatures.

Republicans were trounced so badly they failed to take away a single Democratic seat in either the House or Senate. House Speaker Dennis Hastert of Illinois said he would not run for Republican minority leader in the new Congress.

BUSH RESPONSIBLE

Bush said he was in part responsible for the losses as leader of the Republican Party. He nominated former CIA director Robert Gates to replace Rumsfeld, but Gates will have to be confirmed by a dramatically reshaped Senate.

The split control of government and narrow majorities in Congress, especially the Senate, were almost certain to spawn more partisan gridlock and political warfare during Bush's final two years in the White House.

But on the first day of shared power, both sides promised to work together. Democratic control of the House will make liberal Rep Nancy Pelosi of California the first female speaker and could slam the brakes on much of Bush's agenda and increase pressure for a change of course in Iraq.

Bush telephoned his congratulations to Pelosi and other Democratic leaders. He invited Pelosi and the No 2 House Democrat, Steny Hoyer of Maryland, to lunch at the White House tomorrow.

''After more than three years of a failed strategy, we must come together to change course and give the American people and our troops the real security they deserve,'' Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid said.

The Democratic victory gives the party control of House legislative committees that could investigate the Bush administration's most controversial decisions on foreign, military and energy policy.

All 435 House seats, 33 of the 100 Senate seats and 36 of the 50 governorships were at stake. Democrats beat Republican Sen. Rick Santorum, the third-ranking Republican in the Senate and one of the Democrats' biggest targets this year.

Democrats have promised early votes on much of their legislative agenda, including new ethics rules, a rise in the minimum wage, reduced subsidies to the oil industry and improvements in border and port security.

Early exit polls showed voters disapproved of the war in Iraq by a large margin, but they said corruption and ethics were more important to their vote.

Democrats hammered Republicans all year for spawning a ''culture of corruption'' in Washington, with four Republican House members resigning this year under an ethics cloud.

The party was hit by allegations about influence peddling, links to convicted lobbyists and a Capitol Hill sex scandal involving Republican Rep. Mark Foley's lewd messages to teenage male congressional assistants.

REUTERS