Major changes such as a wholesale withdrawal of troops are unlikely in the near term.

Bush's reversal of fortune this week means he can entertain ideas from his own generals and advisers that would have looked like an admission of failure before the voting, conservative and liberal analysts said.

The changed political circumstances also mean Bush can look statesmanlike by adopting recommendations from Democrats or from an independent bipartisan panel headed by former Secretary of State James A. Baker III, whose report is due soon.

Democrats who take control of Congress in January say they will try using their clout to force a change in Iraq policy and demand that Bush start bringing troops home.

Though Democrats are divided over exactly what to propose, they say their effort will send a loud political signal to disgruntled US voters, and to Iraqis to assume more responsibility.

Rumsfeld's departure could offer a path to compromise and an opportunity for the White House to pivot from some of his hardline positions.

Bush chose a far less divisive figure, former CIA director Robert Gates, to succeed Rumsfeld. Bush came close to conceding that Rumsfeld was the roadblock to new policy that his critics claimed.

"Secretary Rumsfeld and I agreed that sometimes it's necessary to have a fresh perspective," Bush said in the surprise announcement Wednesday.

"I think history has shown that switching one person can make a difference," said Lawrence J. Korb, assistant defense secretary under President Reagan and now senior fellow at the liberal Center for American Progress.

Korb pointed to the Vietnam War, when Clark Clifford took over for hawkish Defense Secretary Robert McNamara.

"Within a month President Johnson had basically offered to begin negotiating with the North Vietnamese," Korb said.

Gates has served on the Iraq study commission led by Baker and former Democratic Rep. Lee Hamilton of Indiana, signaling that the group could offer the White House a palatable way to shift gears.

"I think there is a real possibility for a bipartisan approach to our foreign policy," said Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., expected to lead the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

"The Baker-Hamilton commission obviously would be one of the most likely places to build that consensus and give the administration the necessary ... political room to be able to make a radical change. At least I hope that's what will happen," Biden said.

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