President George W. Bush looks down during a reenlistment ceremony for military service members in the East Room of the White House May 23, 2001. As Republicans urged him to stay, Sen. James Jeffords of Vermont abruptly postponed until May 24 a widely anticipated announcement that he was bolting the party, a bombshell move that would hand Democrats control of the Senate and threaten President Bush's conservative agenda..

KL/SV