Caren Bohan
Reuters
Saturday, November 11, 2006

Signaling an openness to a broad shift on his Iraq policy, President George W. Bush on Saturday described his new pick for defense secretary, Robert Gates, as an able manager and "agent of change."

This week's surprise announcement of the ouster of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld -- a lightning rod for criticism of the administration's handling of the Iraq war -- followed a crushing defeat for Bush's Republicans in Tuesday's midterm elections.

In Gates, Bush chose a former CIA director and pragmatist expected to be more inclined to consensus-building than the combative Rumsfeld.

"He has experience leading large and complex organizations, and he has shown that he is an agent of change," Bush said in his weekly radio address. "As secretary of defense, he will provide a fresh outlook on our strategy in Iraq, and what we need to do to prevail."

Bush has acknowledged that voter frustration over Iraq helped fuel wins for Democrats that swept them to power in both houses of Congress for the first time in 12 years.

While indicating he wants new ideas on Iraq, Bush has insisted a quick withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq is not on the table.

Gates, the head of Texas A&M University, has been a member of the Iraq Study Group, led by Bush family friend and former Secretary of State James Baker and former Congressman Lee Hamilton, which is looking at alternative approaches on Iraq. Due to his nomination as defense secretary, Gates plans to give up his role on the panel, the White House said.

The White House is pushing to get Gates confirmed in the final weeks of the outgoing Congress, before power switches to Democrats early next year.

Bush is to meet on Monday with the Baker-Hamilton group. The White House has said little about what the focus of the meeting would be but has made clear the panel will not be presenting its final recommendations.

In his radio message, Bush said he would welcome the study group's suggestions. Also, in a conciliatory tone he has emphasized in the aftermath of the election, Bush said he wanted to listen to ideas from Democrats in Congress "on the best way to support our troops on the front lines -- and win the war on terror."

The president used part of the radio address to mark Veterans Day, saying the elections highlighted freedoms Americans fought for in past wars.

"Whatever your opinion of the outcome (of the U.S. elections), all Americans can take pride in the example our democracy sets for the world," Bush said.