Dem Leader Calls For Iraq Summit

The Democratic leader of the U.S. Senate is urging President Bush to hold a summit on the future of the U.S. war in Iraq.

After Democrats surged in yesterday's elections, dumping the GOP from power in the U.S. House, the time has come for the president to listen to the American people and work with congressional leaders of both parties for a new direction, says Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada.

"Yesterday's message was clear: Americans want change. It is time to put partisanship aside and find a new way forward -- at home and in Iraq. Today, I ask the President to convene a bipartisan Iraq summit with the leaders of Congress and the Chairman and Ranking Members of key national security committees. 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," Reid says.

"In the fourth year of the war, the American people have made clear that we need a new direction. 'Staying the course' is no longer acceptable. Americans want change, and Democrats will work with the President in a bipartisan manner to change course in Iraq," he adds.

A panel mandated by Congress, the Iraq Study Group, is weighing alternatives to current U.S. policy. That group is co-chaired by former secretary of state James Baker and former congressman Lee Hamilton. Hamilton also co-chaired the 9/11 Commission.