You may recall the President announcing, during his primetime address on Iraq, the creation of a bipartisan working group to coordinate between the White House and Congress on the war on terrorism:

Acting on the good advice of Senator Joe Lieberman and other key members of Congress, we will form a new, bipartisan working group that will help us come together across party lines to win the war on terror. This group will meet regularly with me and my administration; it will help strengthen our relationship with Congress.

Nice touch there, using Lieberman as a wedge.

But Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid have refused to be drawn into the Bush-Lieberman dog and pony show, sending a letter to the President yesterday declining the invitation:

We believe that Congress already has bipartisan structures in place, like the committee system and other Congressional working groups such as the Senate’s National Security Working Group, that could produce the result you described in your speech.

We look forward to working with you within these existing structures, in a bipartisan and fully consultative way, to make progress on efforts against terrorism and other important matters.

A weak and unpopular President and his token Democrat.