It's afterall 
Posted on 08/23/2002 5:23:54 PM PDT by Pokey78
WASHINGTON, Aug. 23 — President Bush was crisscrossing California today, supposedly to aid the faltering gubernatorial campaign of Bill Simon Jr., whose name he did not even mention in a welcoming ceremony in Stockton.
Mr. Simon was at the head of the receiving line when Mr. Bush alighted from Air Force One at midday, and the candidate was supposed to travel on the president's plane after the welcoming rally at the Stockton Memorial Civil Auditorium.
But Mr. Bush did not find an opportunity in the welcoming event to mention Mr. Simon, and the omission at first seemed to be a lapse in basic political etiquette. Mr. Simon's advisers hoped that Mr. Bush would speak warmly of the candidate later in the day, and thus counter any impression that the president and his top political advisers want to distance the White House from him.
The president did have kind words for Mr. Simon at a fund-raising luncheon later, referring to him as "the next governor of the state of California."
Mr. Bush described Mr. Simon as a proven businessman who could work with people of various backgrounds to make life better for his constituents. "You need somebody in Sacramento who's got that kind of attitude, somebody who's willing to put aside all the typical old-style politics to bring a breath of fresh air, to bring new life into a stagnant situation," Mr. Bush said. "And the answer for the breath of fresh air for Sacramento, Calif., is Bill Simon."
Mr. Bush seemed to be campaigning on behalf of his own economic program and other policies, as well. At the welcoming ceremony, he reminded his audience that he had proudly signed a corporate-reform bill hurriedly passed by Congress.
"We had some people who were trying to fudge the numbers," Mr. Bush said. "We decided to do something about it. Republicans and Democrats came together. I was honored and proud to sign the most comprehensive corporate reforms since Franklin Roosevelt was the president."
And Mr. Bush paid tribute to two Republican congressmen from California who were at the welcoming ceremony.
"I appreciate the hard work of Richard Pombo, who represents this district," Mr. Bush said, producing applause. "Doug Ose, from the next Congressional district, is here with us," Mr. Bush continued, to more applause. "These are two fine members of the United States Congress with whom I have good working relations, people with whom I can work to do what's right for the American people."
The president praised his agriculture secretary, Ann M. Veneman, who is from nearby Compton, and he even recognized Alex Spanos, the owner of the San Diego Chargers, good-naturedly ribbing him for the recent poor fortunes of his football team.
So Mr. Bush's initial omission of Mr. Simon's name was highly conspicuous, and it came after days of rumors that Mr. Bush had only committed himself to go to California because he had no choice politically. California is by far the biggest electoral-vote prize in a presidential election, and Mr. Bush lost the Golden State to Al Gore in 2000.
The Bush visit comes a week after Vice President Dick Cheney visited California and mentioned Mr. Simon's name only once in two speeches and did not pose for any photos with him.
Mr. Simon, the son of a treasury secretary in the Nixon and Ford administrations, William E. Simon, is a political neophyte whose campaign against the incumbent Democrat, Gov. Gray Davis, has been bedeviled by organizational and financial problems. Mr. Bush's trip to California is meant to raise money for the Simon cause.
Besides his internal campaign problems, Mr. Simon had the misfortune of a recent jury verdict that found his family's company liable for defrauding a business partner. Mr. Simon, who was not named in the suit, has called the verdict "fundamentally flawed" and predicted that it would be overturned on appeal.
At the fund-raising luncheon, Mr. Bush repeated his praise for Mr. Pombo, Mr. Ose and Ms. Veneman, and he again kidded Mr. Spanos. But he did not touch upon the theme of corporate responsibility.
Mr. Bush lent Mr. Simon a measure of moral support on Thursday, saying in neighboring Oregon that "Bill Simon assures us that when the courts look at this case he'll be innocent, and I take the man for his word."
But the case is still the worst kind of political embarrassment, given the potency of the corporate-corruption issue. Mr. Bush acknowledged the importance of that issue in his comments today, recalling what a blue-collar worker had told him about white-collar chicanery: "If you want to teach them right from wrong, Mr. President, the best lesson you can send is to put them in handcuffs."
Governor Davis, meanwhile, scheduled a ceremony today to sign legislation tightening corporate-accountability standards in the state.
Dan, would you PLEASE, PLEASE post your pictures and links to disprove this slime Times story? Thanks!
So Mr. Bush's initial omission of Mr. Simon's name was highly conspicuous, and it came after days of rumors that Mr. Bush had only committed himself to go to California because he had no choice politically.
Bush didn't mention Simon at the Stockton Memorial Auditorium because it wasn't a political event. He split the cost of the trip with between his campaign funds and his government funds because he was giving a POLICY speech at the Auditorium. If he had mentioned Simon, his campaign would have had to pay for the whole trip!
I HATE THE LIBERAL MEDIA!!!!!!!!!
It's afterall
The president did have kind words for Mr. Simon at a fund-raising luncheon later, referring to him as "the next governor of the state of California."
Mr. Bush described Mr. Simon as a proven businessman who could work with people of various backgrounds to make life better for his constituents. "You need somebody in Sacramento who's got that kind of attitude, somebody who's willing to put aside all the typical old-style politics to bring a breath of fresh air, to bring new life into a stagnant situation," Mr. Bush said. "And the answer for the breath of fresh air for Sacramento, Calif., is Bill Simon."
Also, please see my post #5
Well, now I've seen it all.
The New York Times is actually willing to push their agenda by headlining how long it took Bush to mention someone's name.
Soon they'll be willing to use any insignificant conservative behaviors to drive home their leftist talking points.
Look for these Times headlines coming soon:
Bush Adminstration Divided: President Speaks 2 Full Minutes Before Mentioning Cheney
Brief Pauses in Rumsfeld Speech Show Terror War Failing
Ashcroft Clears Throat: No Hope For X-Ray Detainees
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.