A day after lunching with top House Democrat Nancy Pelosi, Bush held talks with her Senate counterpart Harry Reid and senior Democrat Senator Dick Durbin, who will control the upper chamber when the new Congress convenes in January.
The Democrats were already flexing their new power after emerging triumphant from the political earthquake triggered by Tuesday's elections, after taking control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate for the first time since 1994.
Both sides have put on a show of co-operation to appease voters angry at the bitter divisions in US politics, but wrangles, notably over Iraq, were already breaking out.
Senior Democratic Party Congressman John Murtha warned Bush's decision to part with his Bush's Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was not enough to smooth over differences over the war.
"All right, you fired the secretary of defence. But that's not a change in policy," Murtha said on CNN.
"What we have to do is give a deadline to the Iraqis," Murtha said, adding that he favoured opening an investigation into how Bush's White House entered and managed the war in Iraq.
But Roy Blunt, House majority whip for the Republicans, accused the Democrats of wanting to simply pull out of Iraq.
"We clearly have to be sure we take the war on terrorism and the war on Islamic totalitarianism seriously. You can't naively assume that this is going to end if we just decide to stop fighting," Blunt said on Fox News.
"I think the American people in the next two years are going to see, be reminded of what the Democrats are truly for."
Democrats have demanded modifications to US policy in Iraq, where violence is raging three years after the US invasion and more than 2,800 US troops have died.
"We believe that this country has spoken loudly and clearly. There must be a change of direction in Iraq," Reid said on Thursday.
Eyes in Washington were also turning to a bipartisan commission probing new approaches to the occupation of Iraq, after Bush admitted voters were fed up with the situation in a country where 2,800 US troops and tens of thousands of civilians have died.
The group co-led by former secretary of state James Baker, due to report within months, is seen by many observers as a chance for both parties to coalesce around a common strategy.
White House spokesman Tony Snow said on Thursday Bush would not necessarily adopt the group's recommendations.
"To the extent that the Iraq Study Group has fresh ideas and analysis that we think is going to be interesting and helpful, we're going to be grateful for it," Snow said.
"But the idea that somebody says, 'Ah-ha, here's the document, let us follow' -- no, it doesn't work that way."
In another political brushfire, the White House resubmitted the nomination of hawkish UN ambassador John Bolton to the Senate, sparking an immediate row with Democrats.
Bolton had previously been blocked by Democrats together with a rebel Republican in 2005, but was then granted a recess appointment by Bush.
The White House's move appeared to be a bid to get Bolton approved in a "lame duck" session of Congress still controlled by Republicans which opens next week.
Democratic Senator Chris Dodd reacted angrily, accusing the White House of trying to "jam this nomination through during a lame duck session."
"I see no point in considering Mr. Bolton's nomination again," said Democrat Senator Joe Biden.

Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2006