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Reid: "Iraq is Where It Is" But Not a Diversion From Other Issues

January 04, 2007 11:06 AM

ABC News' Z. Byron Wolf Reports: In an effort to put their best bipartisan face forward, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) made a brief statement following an hour-long "historic bipartisan caucus" this morning in the Old Senate Chamber.  The caucus was closed to the press.

Reid called today "a new day in Washington" and said "our efforts are going to be to work in a bipartisan basis, in an open fashion, to solve the problems of the American people."

McConnell echoed Reid's sentiment, "I think it's important to remember that some of the most significant achievements over the last 25 years have been during periods of divided government."

Reid said that Senators are going to try and find common ground even on the issue of minimum wage, where they have disagreed in the past. Minimum wage will come to the Senate floor the week after next, once the Senate is done considering an ethics and lobby reform package.

But when it came to the issue of Iraq, there seemed to be little or no common ground.

Reid said, "Iraq is where it is, the country is where it is, Iraq is an issue we need to work on and we will work on that in a bipartisan manner, but we're not going to let that divert our attention from the other important issues that face the country.

The day continues at noon, when the 110th Congress comes to order on the Senate floor and Senators are officially sworn in. At 1pm, Senators have photo-friendly mock-swearing-ins back in the Old Senate Chamber.

January 4, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (0)

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