US: Republicans in the House of Representatives have sought to put a "fresh face" on their leadership with the surprise choice of Ohio's John Boehner to replace Tom DeLay as majority leader.
Mr Boehner narrowly defeated acting majority leader Roy Blunt of Missouri in the second ballot, upsetting expectations and signalling a break with the leadership style of Mr DeLay, who is on trial in Texas on electoral fraud charges.
Mr Boehner campaigned as a candidate of reform, and said his experience as chairman of the House education and workforce committee had demonstrated his ability to pass major legislation.
Mr Blunt had appeared to be the front-runner, presenting himself as an experienced technocrat.
He will remain in the House Republican leadership, retaining his job as majority whip.
Mr Boehner was elected to Congress in 1990 as a campaigner against what he saw as the excesses of Democratic power. He joined the party leadership when Republicans gained a majority in the 1994 election landslide, but lost his post four years later after he was implicated in a plot against then speaker Newt Gingrich.
A former businessman, Mr Boehner has a strong conservative record, but has also shown an ability to reach across party lines. He pushed pension legislation through the House last year, attracting nearly 300 votes after a last-minute accommodation with the United Auto Workers union.
Arizona congressman Jeff Flake said Mr Boehner represented a "fresh face" at a time when Republicans are seeking to restore their image in advance of November's mid-term elections.
"It wouldn't be credible for the same leaders to be advocating change," he said.
Mr Blunt was gracious in defeat, declaring that he looked forward to working under Mr Boehner's leadership.
"We're going to work to make the Congress better. More importantly, we're going to work to make the country better, and I look forward to working with John Boehner as majority leader to make that happen," he said.
Signs of Republican unrest became clear this week when the House approved a $39 billion package of budget cuts by a margin of just two votes.
Republican leaders struggled to secure the necessary votes for the cuts, which will affect healthcare for the old and poor and assistance to college students.
Democrats accused Republicans of cutting necessary spending on programmes that help the poor and the middle- class in order to help pay for tax cuts for the wealthy.
Democrats noted that millions of poor Medicaid recipients will be asked to pay higher costs for medical care and prescription drugs, and college students and their parents will pay higher interest rates on loans.
Republican leaders in the House this week postponed a major overhaul of the rules governing legislators' relations with lobbyists after some congressmen complained the proposed reforms went too far.
The House voted on Wednesday to ban former congressmen who are lobbyists from appearing on the House floor or visiting the gym but congressmen balked at a proposal to ban all travel paid for by lobbyists.
Congress is under mounting pressure to tighten rules on lobbying following the scandal surrounding former Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who is accused of bribing congressmen and misusing clients' funds.
President Bush yesterday continued his series of speeches aimed at amplifying the message of his state of the union address, speaking in Maplewood, Minnesota, about US economic competitiveness.
Earlier, the president attended the national prayer breakfast in Washington, singling out U2's Bono - who also took part in the prayer meeting - for praise.
"I've gotten to know Bono. He's a doer. The thing about this good citizen of the world is he's used his position to get things done. You're an amazing guy, Bono. God bless you," he said.