Some congressional hearings were postponed, but the House of Representatives managed to approve legislation to prevent a government shutdown on March 27 and President Barack Obama had dinner with GOP senators at a hotel Wednesday night.

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President Bush acknowledged there is still a lot of disagreement on the immigration reform bill at the end of Tuesday's lunch meeting with GOP senators, but he vowed to continue with his effort to pass comprehensive immigration legislation.

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"Right now what I'm trying to do is create an atmosphere where Democrats and Republicans can go ahead and get together and try to get something done, " he said of his so-called charm offensive that has included a dinner with GOP senators, lunch with House leaders and meetings with others legislators.

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In that vote, five Democrats in the Senate joined Republicans in blocking the measure, while three GOP senators voted with Democrats to bring it up.

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Rob Portman of Ohio and Mark Kirk of Illinois recently became the first GOP senators to endorse same-sex marriage, and a supportive brief was filed with the Supreme Court by dozens of other Republican VIPs, including several former governors.

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Republicans have so far managed to use procedural roadblocks to head off those measures -- but faced with a U.S. death toll of more than 3, 600 and deep public opposition, several GOP senators have wavered in recent weeks.

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