Posted on 03/27/2002 5:43:32 AM PST by Lance Romance
Lewis tags Bush visit as political
Melanie Eversley - Cox Washington Bureau
Wednesday, March 27, 2002
Washington --- When President Bush visits Atlanta today, the dean of Georgia's congressional delegation will not be along.
Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) is boycotting Bush's visit to discuss homeland security at Georgia Tech and to campaign for U.S. Rep. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), a candidate for the U.S. Senate.
Lewis complained Tuesday that the White House should have let the public know from the beginning that campaigning was the main purpose of the visit.
Chambliss is running against state Rep. Bob Irvin of Atlanta for the Republican nomination to challenge incumbent Democratic Sen. Max Cleland.
"This trip had been planned some months ago as a major fund-raiser for Saxby Chambliss," Lewis said. "Then, in the last few days, they tag on this homeland security and invite all the [Georgia congressional delegation] members to be there. I don't plan to show up because I think they are using homeland security as a political issue."
The White House countered, however, that press secretary Ari Fleischer had been straightforward about the trip when discussing it with reporters Monday.
"The president will travel to Atlanta to tour and make remarks at the Georgia Institute of Technology . . . on first-responders," Fleischer said. "Afterward, the president will attend a Saxby Chambliss for Senate reception."
Neither Chambliss' spokeswoman nor his chief of staff could be reached Tuesday evening for comment.
In raising questions about the Bush trip, Lewis initially questioned whether taxpayers would be paying the bill for what he thinks essentially is a campaign stop.
White House spokeswoman Jeanie Mamo, however, acknowledged that the purpose of the trip was part homeland security and part campaign. Because of that split, she said, Chambliss' campaign will pay for the campaign portion of the trip and will receive a bill from the White House.
I love to hear replays of his rants becuase he can't even get out one complete sentence of reality. Most people have him pegged (no way of missing it). If ever there were a "token" congressman, he would be one of them for he would not have gotten elected if he were Causcasian.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.