民主党选举失利 奥巴马成"独脚兽"

In his first appearance since his party suffered critical losses at the polls, President Barack Obama appeared subdued at a White House news conference.

"Feels bad. You know, the toughest thing over the last couple of days is seeing really terrific public servants not have the option to serve any more, at least in a short term."

Americans still delivered a stern rebuke to Democrats on Tuesday, voting Republicans into the majority in the House of Representatives, and weakening the Democrats' hold on the Senate. The President had little choice but to acknowledge voter outrage over the economy.

"Over the last two years we've made progress, but clearly too many Americans haven't felt that progress yet, and they told us that yesterday. And as president, I take responsibility for that."

Obama also vowed to work with Republicans to stem a stubbornly-high unemployment rate."I'm looking at all ideas that are on the table when it comes to job creation. If Republicans have good ideas for job growth that can drive down the unemployment rate, and we haven't thought of them, we haven't looked at them, but we think they have a chance of working, we wanna try some.“

The press conference marked a shift in tone for the President who sailed into the White House with overwhelming support and push through one of the most ambitious health care reforms in history.There is already chatter in Republican circles about dismantling the President's health care plan. William Galston of the Brookings Institution says such talk is premature.

"The Republicans can huff and puff, but I don't think they are going to be able to blow the health care house down. They don't control the Senate, they don't control the White House, and President Obama would be perfectly willing to unsheathe his veto."

Health care is easily the most divisive issue between the two parties, and it's likely to be a cornerstone of the Obama legacy. With the verdict ink on the President's job performance during his first two years in office, Obama now faces the hurdle of gridlock on Capitol Hill as he begins his second half of his term.

Deborah Gembare, Reuters.