Bush: My way or highway

From the pages of Capitol Hill Blue:

President Bush said Monday he wants to work with Democrats on compromise legislation to pay for the Iraq war but will carry through on his threat to veto any spending bill that sets a timetable for U.S. troop withdrawal.

"I'm optimistic we can get something done in a positive way," Bush said in a Rose Garden news conference with leaders of the European Union.

The bill, which Bush has long threatened to veto, was expected to reach his desk on Tuesday. The House and Senate voted last week to approve the $124.2 billion measure, which also calls for troops to begin being pulled out in October.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., urged the president to reconsider his veto.

"If the president wonders why the American people have lost patience, it is because the news out of Iraq grows worse by the day," Reid said. "When we send the supplemental conference report to President Bush tomorrow, we ask that he take some time to reflect on that somber fact."

Bush said that once he vetoes the bill, he's ready to work with Democrats on a new version that provides funds without strings attached.

"There are a lot of Democrats who understand we need to get the money to the troops," he said.