Democrats note election anniversary

WASHINGTON, Nov. 1 (UPI) -- U.S. House of Representative Democrats marked the first anniversary of winning control of Congress by pledging to fulfill their promise to the American people.

They also blamed President George Bush for not being able to achieve their priorities.

"(What) we're talking about is a debate on the priorities of our country," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. "And the president has fallen very short on meeting the needs of America's families, meeting the health needs of our country, and he is trying to call that wasteful. We disagree."

Congress, Pelosi said, "is focusing on creating a great America for our children and our grandchildren."

Bush, during a speech Thursday at the Heritage Foundation, assailed Congress for not moving more quickly on Iraqi war and intelligence gathering legislation, and the confirmation process for Michael Mukasey as attorney general.

Congress is proud of its record of passing 90 bills, of which nearly 70 percent enjoyed bipartisan support, said House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md.

"And we recognize that our work is not finished, that this do-something, new direction Congress has been blocked far too often by a do-nothing president and his Republican congressional accomplices," he said.