Washington: President George W Bush is predicting that voters will replace him with a Republican president who will "keep up the fight" in Iraq. "I am confident we ll hold the White House in 2008," Bush told donors at the Republican Governors Association annual dinner, which pulled in a record $10.6 million for the party's gubernatorial candidates.

"And I don t want the next Republican president to be lonely," Bush said. "And that is why we got to take the House, retake the Senate, and make sure our states are governed by Republican governors." The pep talk came in the midst of a presidential campaign that has largely overshadowed Bush's final year in office. Bush has promised to be an active fundraiser, and he had no trouble slipping into enthusiastic campaign mode yesterday.

He said Republicans still offer the bedrock positions that voters embrace: strong defense, low taxes and personal freedoms. Democratic governors have a 28-22 edge nationally, having regained a majority in 2006 after 12 years of Republican dominance in state capitals. Eleven seats are up for election this year.

In Congress, Democrats took control of the House and Senate in 2006. Bush has sought to remain relevant as a lame-duck president through his veto power and position of authority. On Iraq, he pledged yesterday that he would use his time left in office to make whatever decisions are needed to "make sure that we succeed in Iraq." The country has long grown weary of the war, although economic problems have overtaken Iraq as the top complaint of voters.

Source : PTI