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Bush reaches out to Democrats

Moving toward assuming the presidency but without an election majority, George W Bush reached out to Democrats to try to heal deep wounds from the agonising five-week post-election battle.

The Texas Governor, in his first address as President-elect to the Texas House of Representatives, called for national reconciliation.

Bush, 54, campaigned as a "uniter, not a divider" in his two-year pursuit of the presidency and now finds his ability to deliver on that promise put to the test.

He would be the first winner since 1888 to gain an Electoral College majority while losing the popular vote nationwide.

Bush's decision to make the speech from the Texas House, an hour after Gore addressed the nation, was intended to signal bipartisanship, aides said. He was introduced by the highest-ranking Democrat in his state, House Speaker Pete Laney.

As a two-term Texas governor, Bush "has a long history of working in that chamber with Democrats and Republicans," a spokesman said.

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