WASHINGTON (AP) — President George W. Bush was left weakened and more isolated by Tuesday’s Democratic thumping of Republicans. He offered Democrats gestures of reconciliation — and capitulated to demands for Defence Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld’s removal — but history suggests his last two years will be filled with more confrontation and challenges.Except for rare instances, Bush has ignored Democrats in Congress during his first six years in the White House and has relied on Republican might to ram through legislation. Although he came to Washington promising to be a uniter rather than a divider, the partisan bitterness and acrimony only got worse.

Suddenly, that’s supposed to change. Bush is supposed to forget that Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the incoming House speaker, called him dangerous, incompetent and an emperor with no clothes. Democrats are supposed to forget that a combative Bush said “terrorists win and America loses” if the Democrats won on Tuesday.

Bush invited Pelosi to a makeup luncheon today. “She’s not going to abandon her principles and I’m not going to abandon mine,” the president said. “But I do believe we have an opportunity to find some common ground to move forward on.”

The president’s turnabout was dictated by the seismic shake-up of power. Democrats suddenly have the advantage in Congress, controlling the House of Representatives for the first time in 12 years. They also are assured of 50 Senate seats and believe the final count of votes in Virginia will give them a 51-49 majority.

Demanding a voice in setting the nation’s agenda, Democrats want to move ahead with proposals Bush has resisted: raising the minimum wage, cutting student loan interest rates and funding stem cell research, to name just a few.

If Bush isn’t willing to compromise, he’ll have to pull out his veto pen — used only once in his presidency because a friendly Republican Congress sent him bills they knew he would sign.

Bush signalled his readiness to consider some of the Democrats’ ideas, such as minimum wage, and to seek compromise on his own agenda, such as renewing an education law he promoted. But he also said he wanted to move ahead with strengthening presidential powers, an area where Democrats think Bush already has stretched too far.

The president suggested that an overhaul of immigration laws — blocked so far by House Republicans seeking a tougher bill — stands a better chance in a Democratic Congress. Alternative energy sources also may provide grounds for compromise.

However, Republican strategists who have worked with the White House doubt there will be much progress.

“You’ll have a bare minimum of legislation,” said Ed Rogers, who worked in the White House under Bush’s father. “You’ll have aggressive — bordering on hostile — oversight. The Democrats — they’re not going to be able to do much legislatively that he’s going to sign.”

Bush hardly wore his election disappointment on his sleeve. “Why all the glum faces,” he beamed at a post-mortem news conference. He smiled and joked with reporters. It was as if announcing Rumsfeld’s resignation after six stormy years and declaring himself open to new thinking on Iraq was a relief.

Bush had little to cheer about from his campaign travels. Of the 58 candidates he campaigned for, either by raising money or doing rallies in the race’s closing days, 29 lost and 22 won. Seven others were in races so tight that the results were not yet known.

A solid majority of voters said in exit polling that the United States should withdraw some or all of its troops from Iraq. Bush drew bright lines limiting how far he would go toward compromise with Democrats on the war.