lucky wilbury
07-14-2004, 12:18 AM
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=694&u=/ap/20040713/ap_on_el_pr/bush_22&printer=1
Bush: Kerry Brags About Abandoning Troops
Tue Jul 13, 5:53 PM ET
By PETE YOST, Associated Press Writer
MARQUETTE, Mich. - Courting conservative voters in Michigan's rural Upper Peninsula, President Bush (news - web sites) said Tuesday that rival John Kerry (news - web sites) abandoned support for U.S. troops in Iraq (news - web sites) and then bragged about it.
"Leaders need to stand up with our military," Bush told a cheering crowd, kicking off a two-day tour of three crucial states that he lost in 2000 to Democratic Vice President Al Gore (news - web sites).
Kerry said Monday that he and running mate John Edwards (news - web sites) were proud of the fact that they opposed the $87 billion aid package for Afghanistan (news - web sites) and Iraq "when we knew the policy had to be changed." Kerry said the Bush administration should have gotten other allies to help with the war in Iraq.
"He is entitled to his view," Bush said, adding that Kerry should not have gone on to "brag about it."
Bush's visit to the largest city in Michigan's Upper Peninsula with a population of 20,000 was the first by a sitting president since William Howard Taft in 1911.
"It was worth the wait," Judi Schwalbach told the crowd. She is the mayor of the Upper Peninsula town of Escanaba, Mich. Bush's daughter, Barbara, accompanied him to Michigan.
Democratic Rep. Bart Stupak, whose district includes the Upper Peninsula, argued that Kerry and Edwards were right when they opposed the $87 billion because Bush misled the country about paying for the war, saying Iraqi oil would be used to cover the cost.
"If anyone let down the American people, it's this president," Stupak said. "He took a little bit of questionable evidence, exaggerated it and led us to war."
Bush drew applause when he criticized Kerry for his supportive comments about Hollywood stars following a New York fund-raiser in which celebrities called Bush and "thug" and a "liar."
"The other day my opponent said, when he was with some entertainers from Hollywood, that they were the heart and soul of America," Bush said. "I believe the heart and soul of America is found in places right here, in Marquette, Michigan."
Bush also criticized Kerry and Edwards for saying the administration has done a poor job of handling the economy.
"My opponents look at all this progress and somehow conclude that the sky is falling," declared Bush, saying that the economy has added 1.5 million new jobs since last summer, including 29,600 in Michigan since February.
Bush won 12 of the 15 counties in the Upper Peninsula four years ago, but lost Marquette County where the president spoke Tuesday. Marquette is heavily unionized by steelworkers in two iron ore mines that are still in operation in the area.
Overall, Bush lost Michigan by about 5 percentage points, and he wants its 17 electoral votes in his column this year. He was trumpeting what he views as an improving economy in a region that is heavily blue collar.
Yet the region leans strongly Republican, exemplifying the troubles Democrats have in rural America.
Many Upper Peninsula voters fit the profile of so-called Reagan Democrats, said Robert Kulisheck, a political science professor at Northern Michigan University in Marquette.
"They tend to be liberal to progressive on economic issues but conservative on social issues such as gun control," Kulisheck said.
Bush spoke in a wooden domed auditorium at Northern Michigan University a short distance from the shores of Lake Superior.
Hundreds of people lined the streets, craning their necks for a view of the president as his motorcade sped past. Most were supportive.
Before leaving Washington on Tuesday morning, Bush signed into law a bill to extend a trade pact that offers duty-free treatment on some goods and other trade benefits to the poorer countries of sub-Saharan Africa.
"It has given American businesses greater confidence to invest in Africa," Bush said during a 15-minute signing ceremony to extend the African Growth and Opportunity Act. "There is a growing consensus in both Africa and the United States that open trade to international investment are the surest and fastest ways for Africa to make progress."
Bush makes a second bus trip on Wednesday through Wisconsin, a state he lost in 2000 by fewer than 6,000 votes.
___
Associated Press Writer John Flesher based in Traverse City, Mich., contributed to this report.
___
On the Net:
Bush campaign: http://www.georgewbush.com
Bush: Kerry Brags About Abandoning Troops
Tue Jul 13, 5:53 PM ET
By PETE YOST, Associated Press Writer
MARQUETTE, Mich. - Courting conservative voters in Michigan's rural Upper Peninsula, President Bush (news - web sites) said Tuesday that rival John Kerry (news - web sites) abandoned support for U.S. troops in Iraq (news - web sites) and then bragged about it.
"Leaders need to stand up with our military," Bush told a cheering crowd, kicking off a two-day tour of three crucial states that he lost in 2000 to Democratic Vice President Al Gore (news - web sites).
Kerry said Monday that he and running mate John Edwards (news - web sites) were proud of the fact that they opposed the $87 billion aid package for Afghanistan (news - web sites) and Iraq "when we knew the policy had to be changed." Kerry said the Bush administration should have gotten other allies to help with the war in Iraq.
"He is entitled to his view," Bush said, adding that Kerry should not have gone on to "brag about it."
Bush's visit to the largest city in Michigan's Upper Peninsula with a population of 20,000 was the first by a sitting president since William Howard Taft in 1911.
"It was worth the wait," Judi Schwalbach told the crowd. She is the mayor of the Upper Peninsula town of Escanaba, Mich. Bush's daughter, Barbara, accompanied him to Michigan.
Democratic Rep. Bart Stupak, whose district includes the Upper Peninsula, argued that Kerry and Edwards were right when they opposed the $87 billion because Bush misled the country about paying for the war, saying Iraqi oil would be used to cover the cost.
"If anyone let down the American people, it's this president," Stupak said. "He took a little bit of questionable evidence, exaggerated it and led us to war."
Bush drew applause when he criticized Kerry for his supportive comments about Hollywood stars following a New York fund-raiser in which celebrities called Bush and "thug" and a "liar."
"The other day my opponent said, when he was with some entertainers from Hollywood, that they were the heart and soul of America," Bush said. "I believe the heart and soul of America is found in places right here, in Marquette, Michigan."
Bush also criticized Kerry and Edwards for saying the administration has done a poor job of handling the economy.
"My opponents look at all this progress and somehow conclude that the sky is falling," declared Bush, saying that the economy has added 1.5 million new jobs since last summer, including 29,600 in Michigan since February.
Bush won 12 of the 15 counties in the Upper Peninsula four years ago, but lost Marquette County where the president spoke Tuesday. Marquette is heavily unionized by steelworkers in two iron ore mines that are still in operation in the area.
Overall, Bush lost Michigan by about 5 percentage points, and he wants its 17 electoral votes in his column this year. He was trumpeting what he views as an improving economy in a region that is heavily blue collar.
Yet the region leans strongly Republican, exemplifying the troubles Democrats have in rural America.
Many Upper Peninsula voters fit the profile of so-called Reagan Democrats, said Robert Kulisheck, a political science professor at Northern Michigan University in Marquette.
"They tend to be liberal to progressive on economic issues but conservative on social issues such as gun control," Kulisheck said.
Bush spoke in a wooden domed auditorium at Northern Michigan University a short distance from the shores of Lake Superior.
Hundreds of people lined the streets, craning their necks for a view of the president as his motorcade sped past. Most were supportive.
Before leaving Washington on Tuesday morning, Bush signed into law a bill to extend a trade pact that offers duty-free treatment on some goods and other trade benefits to the poorer countries of sub-Saharan Africa.
"It has given American businesses greater confidence to invest in Africa," Bush said during a 15-minute signing ceremony to extend the African Growth and Opportunity Act. "There is a growing consensus in both Africa and the United States that open trade to international investment are the surest and fastest ways for Africa to make progress."
Bush makes a second bus trip on Wednesday through Wisconsin, a state he lost in 2000 by fewer than 6,000 votes.
___
Associated Press Writer John Flesher based in Traverse City, Mich., contributed to this report.
___
On the Net:
Bush campaign: http://www.georgewbush.com