Posted on 03/08/2004 10:14:47 AM PST by Tumbleweed_Connection
President Bush is accusing John Kerry of having proposed big cuts in intelligence spending just two years after the first attack on the World Trade Center, part of a re-election effort to depict his Democratic rival as weak on national security and the war against terrorism. Bush, who was traveling to Dallas for a fund-raiser today, planned to call attention to a 1995 bill that Kerry sponsored to trim intelligence spending by $1.5 billion over five years. The cut was part of what Kerry called a "budget-buster bill" to strip $90 billion from the budget and end 40 programs that he said were "pointless, wasteful, antiquated or just plain silly." Kerry's proposal, which followed the collapse of the Soviet Union and calls for a peace dividend after decades of spending to thwart the Cold War opponent, failed to attract any co-sponsors and did not come up for a vote. Republicans hope to raise doubts about Kerry's ability to fight and win the war against terror, suggesting that his rhetoric does not match his 20-year record in the Senate. To fend off such criticism, Kerry has relied in large part on his decorated Navy service in Vietnam. On Sunday, Kerry accused Bush of "stonewalling" separate inquiries into the events leading up to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, as well as into the intelligence that suggested Saddam Hussein was hiding weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. The Bush campaign contended the president has cooperated fully with investigators. The president was attending two Texas fund-raisers today, plus the popular Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Texas, the state that vaulted him to the presidency, remains a bedrock of Bush's political support. It has sent his re-election campaign in excess of $13.2 million, more than any other state, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a campaign watchdog group. Dallas is among the top five metropolitan areas by volume of donations to his campaign. Bush's trips come two days after Kerry, his likely Democratic opponent in November's election, campaigned in Houston and accused him of leaving a "four-year trail of broken promises." Kerry called on the president to leave his ranch near Waco to "come out and talk to people who have lost their jobs." Bush played host there to Mexican President Vicente Fox on Friday and Saturday. Today's money swing opens another week that will also take Bush to Long Island, N.Y., for fund raising. He has collected more than $155 million for his re-election and is closing in on his goal of $170 million. Aides said last week they expect him to stop at that mark, but they wouldn't rule out more. The Texas trip also started Bush's first full week of campaigning for re-election, following Kerry's victory in a wave of primaries last week that cemented his grip on the Democratic nomination.
Bringing up Kerry's legislative record is not faiiiiirrrrr!
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