Editorial: President actually listens?

Thursday, May 18, 2006 | 7:32 a.m.

President Bush met with 10 former secretaries of State and Defense late last week for what was reportedly a constructive discussion on the war in Iraq and foreign policy. Bush had invited a similar group to the White House in January, when several guests were angered to discover that the meeting was just a 10-minute photo op.

This time Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Peter Pace delivered a 45-minute private briefing, followed by a "robust give and take" with the president, according to The New York Times.

"I had a sense this time that it was viewed as a useful dialogue," Clinton administration Secretary of State Madeleine Albright told The Times.

With his approval ratings dredging new lows, and with even many members of his own party critical of his performance, Bush is at least seemingly making an effort to shore up what remains of his presidency.

Of course, a single meeting hardly proves that Bush has become a more thoughtful commander-in-chief and that he truly believes that his imperial approach to governing has been a disaster.

Nonetheless, it would be nice to think that this is a sign that the Republican president has begun to recognize the value of listening to voices outside the bubble he occupies and that he occasionally will collaborate with - gasp - Democrats.

We just wish that we had seen more of Bush the Listener before, so that he would not have done so much damage - ill-advisedly plunging us into the Iraq war and so needlessly racking up a huge national debt.