President Bush this morning called Russian President-elect Dmitriy Medvedev and tried to start things off on a democratic note.

"President Bush told Mr. Medvedev that he looks forward to working with him and that he hopes the two can establish a close working relationship that will help them deal with important world issues," said White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe.

"President Bush said that he had read with interest Mr. Medvedev's recent remarks on personal freedoms, independent media, rule of law and fighting corruption," Mr. Johndroe said.

The Bush administration hopes, along with many others, that Mr. Medvedev will roll back some of the more draconian measures implemented by outgoing Russian President Vladimir Putin.

But Many Russian observers say that Mr. Medvedev's less confrontational style means only that Mr. Putin, who will likely move into the prime minister's position, will easily be able to use Mr. Medvedev as his proxy.

— Jon Ward, White House correspondent, The Washington Times