By DAVID STOUT
WASHINGTON, Jan. 24 - Outnumbered Senate Democrats accused President Bush and his Republican allies today of mismanaging the war in Iraq and ignoring the needs of their countrymen at home, and they vowed to be heard in the new Congress on issues of importance to millions of Americans.
"Why is the promise of America not still alive and well for all of us?" Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the minority leader, asked rhetorically at a Capitol Hill news conference. "In part, it's because we have a government that simply doesn't live up to the values upon which this promise was made."
Mr. Reid and several party colleagues said President Bush had bungled the peace-keeping operation in Iraq, falsely asserted that there was a crisis in Social Security, ignored the needs of the 45 million Americans without health insurance, allowed budget deficits to mushroom and promoted tax policies that had made the rich richer and encouraged United States companies to relocate overseas.
The Democrats offered their agenda a few hours before their Republican counterparts were to offer theirs, and they did so with a sense of political reality. As set forth by the Democratic whip, Senator Richard Durbin of Illinois: "The first responsibility of anyone in the legislative scene is to know how to count, and we can count. It's 55-45."
The new Senate has 55 Republicans, 44 Democrats and an independent, James Jeffords of Vermont, whom the Democrats can count in their fold.
Despite their disadvantage, the Democrats tried to show that they would not be intimidated as the Senate prepared to vote this week on President Bush's most hotly contested cabinet nominations, Condoleezza Rice for secretary of state and Alberto R. Gonzales for attorney general.
The Democrats portrayed themselves as every bit as loyal to concepts of personal freedom and opportunity as their Republican rivals.
"We have a government that's forgotten who it's responsible to," Mr. Reid said. "Billions and billions of dollars to people who don't need help. But we're failing in our commitment, for example, to millions of senior citizens."
Mr. Durbin spoke disdainfully of President Bush's vision of "an ownership society."
"What is the 'ownership society'?" Mr. Durbin asked. "I think you can boil it down to just one basic statement: Just remember, we're all in this alone. That's wrong. There are many problems facing America that we need to face together, and not alone."
Mr. Reid and Mr. Durbin said Mr. Bush and some Senate Republicans had manufactured a crisis on Social Security, when in fact the retirement system was basically sound.
The Democrats said they would promote tax credits for small businesses to make it easier for them to provide health insurance for their workers, and that they would push for authorization to import prescription drugs from Canada, which Republicans have resisted but which Americans who live close to the border have been doing anyhow.
Senator Byron Dorgan of North Dakota, addressing an issue that many political analysts believe worked to President Bush's favor in the 2004 campaign, said the overriding goal of the Democrats was "putting America's security first." In part, he said, that means cutting budget deficits and America's huge trade deficit.
Senator Debbie Stabenow of Michigan said the Democrats would push for legislation to give everyone, not just the already wealthy, a chance to build their security and would end tax breaks for companies that export jobs.
Senator Charles E. Schumer of New York played down his party's minority role, asserting that the Democrats' positions "are far closer to what the American people want" on "meat-and-potato issues that people care about - security, jobs, education, health care - " than those that Republicans are embracing.
"And even though we have only 45 votes, when you're on the side of the people, when you're not letting some far-over ideology take over your agenda, you're going to prevail, if you stick with it," Mr. Schumer said.
Mr. Reid was asked whether he was worried about holding his minority ranks together, especially since five Democratic senators are up for re-election next year in states carried by President Bush last November.
"Senator Frist wishes every day he had a caucus like mine," Mr. Reid replied, referring to Bill Frist of Tennessee, the leader of the Republican majority. "We are a family, a Senate family."
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