Bush Slams Democrats on Homeland

Yahoo News ^ | Mon Sep 23,11:03 AM ET | JENNIFER LOVEN, Associated Press Writer

[McGruff]

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - A day before senators headed into a showdown over President Bush ( news - web sites)'s proposal to create a new homeland security department, Bush on Monday said a dispute over labor rights threatened to leave America unprepared to "take the enemy on."

AP Photo

Democrats, who control the Senate by just a one-vote margin, largely oppose Bush's demands to be allowed for reasons of national security to implement a new personnel system in the agency and waive union job rules for the proposed department's 170,000 employees. Bush again threatened, in forceful terms, to veto any bill that does not include those powers.

He was seeking to persuade a few key wavering senators to back a bipartisan Bush-endorsed alternative to the Democratic homeland security bill. Some votes on side issues are expected starting Tuesday after three weeks of debate.

"It's a bill that will make America more secure and anything less than that is a bill which I will not accept," Bush told about 2,000 people gathered in a flag-adorned airport hangar at a New Jersey Army National Guard facility. "We must be flexible, we must be strong. We must be ready to take the enemy on anywhere."

After the campaign-style welcome rally, Bush was heading to a fund-raiser for Republican Douglas Forrester, seeking to unseat embattled Democratic incumbent Sen. Robert Torricelli ( news, bio, voting record).

Bush also chided senators for not sending him legislation he wants that he says will reinvigorate the economy, including energy legislation, a measure guaranteeing terrorism insurance and appropriations bills that include restraints on federal spending.

"What's happening in the economy is not good enough for a stronger America and Congress can help," Bush said at the rally. "What we need in Washington is fiscal responsibility, fiscal sanity. We need to set priorities with your money. And the most important priority I have is to defend the homeland, to defend the homeland from a bunch of killers who hate America."

Bush's policy speech allowed the White House to bill taxpayers for a portion of the otherwise all-political trip.

The Forrester fund-raiser was to be the opening event of an especially heavy week of fund raising for the president, who has blazed new fund-raising records this year.

By gathering $1.5 million Monday for Forrester, according to White House press secretary Ari Fleischer ( news - web sites), Bush raised his total for GOP candidates in this year above $117 million.

And he was showing no signs of a slowdown six weeks before the November election, scheduling four fund-raisers in three states. Bush is aggressively backing Republican candidates in an effort to recapture the Democratic-run Senate, which has been a graveyard for many of his initiatives.

Ousting Torricelli would be particularly sweet for Republicans. Torricelli was chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee in 2000, and helped Democrats gain control of the Senate.

A Star-Ledger/Eagleton-Rutgers poll earlier this month showed the race a statistical dead heat — a dramatic reversal of fortune for Torricelli, who led Forrester by 14 percentage points in June.

In July, the Senate Ethics Committee "severely admonished" Torricelli after finding he accepted and failed to disclose gifts from David Chang, a businessman now serving an 18-month prison sentence for making illegal campaign donations. Forrester has made ethical issues central to his campaign.

Democrats said Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., would help raise some $500,000 for Torricelli's campaign and the party, and later join New Jersey Gov. James McGreevey and Torricelli at a union rally.

Bush has three other fund-raisers scheduled this week.

On Thursday in Houston, he'll headline his second money-raising event this year for John Cornyn, the GOP Senate nominee in Texas.

On Friday, he'll stump in Denver for Bob Beauprez, a House candidate with no elected experience in a tight contest for a newly created Colorado district.

Later that day, he plans to raise money in Phoenix for Arizona gubernatorial candidate Matt Salmon

[End The Hypocrisy]

I'm aware of a plea bargain a couple of weeks ago. But Worldcon was a much more recent scandal and the results have been much more swift.

[Republican Wildcat]

Do you still contend that Al-Quaida had nothing to do with 9/11?

[michigander]

Nope, not mÓÓse.
Just a deer that was unfortunate enough to make direct eye contact with Hillary.

[Miss Marple]

Enron didn't have obvious misstatements like WorldCom and Tyco, but rather hundreds of sub-partnerships. It takes longer to go through those and find the illegalities. Also, some of what Enron did was unfortunately legal, although unethical.

I imagine the plea bargain is to get more information on others. Otherwise, what is there to bargain with?

[justshutupandtakeit]

Ole BB is just p.o.ed because Lincoln kicked the living shiite outa the Treasonous Lunatics who tried to destroy the Union in 1861. He just can't get over it thus, must still side with those out to destroy America.

[Nick Danger]

Bush's policy speech allowed the White House to bill taxpayers for a portion of the otherwise all-political trip.

WAS THIS EVER INCLUDED IN A REPORT ON A CLINTON SPEECH? JEEZ.

Not by Jennifer Loven, the AP reporter here. She wrote numerous stories concerning campaign trips that both Bill and Hillary Clinton made on behalf of Carol Moseley-Braun in 1998, but for some reason she never mentioned that sort of thing. I think the AP Style Book says that it only matters when a Republican does it.

[cake_crumb]

"Democratic homeland security bill"

OOOOOO goosebumps. That wording sounds so SOCIALIST. (no wonder Senate Democrats are pushing it)

[cake_crumb]

"Needless to say, deadwood bureaucrat beneficiaries of the lethargic bureaucratic malaise almost overwhelmingly tend to prefer those politicians who favor big government programs which keep them comparatively comfortably employed. Now the U.S. Senate is their only hope for their continued "right" to take advantage of Americans."

Exactly right. Bureaucrat, career, red-tape jockies are exactly what the president is trying to avoid, and the US Senate is our enemy and a career bureaucrat ally in this. If Daschle/Hillary get their way on this, any Office of Homeland Security will be doomed to failure before it even starts.

[rockfish59]

Washington needs fiscal responsibility, fiscal sanity!

That's got to be the joke of the day!

[cake_crumb]

"Well, GW may not be planning on being king, er, President for life, but he knows damn well that he is above the law and no matter who is in power, nothing in thus "homeland security" bill will be used against him or his family"

TINFOIL HAT ALERT

[MHGinTN]

Bush also chided senators for not sending him legislation he wants that he says will reinvigorate the economy, including energy legislation, a measure guaranteeing terrorism insurance and appropriations bills that include restraints on federal spending. No surprise here; if dimocrats pass something that will help with recovery, they would have blunted their own agenda, thus they WANT the economy to remain sour, etc. so they can exploit it! Vote the bastards out! Time for the pubbies to hold all three branches ... so we can jump on them like a hen on a Junebug if they don't legislate as we want! With all three, there would be no need to negotiate Daschle farm bill extras (yes, Li'l Tommy busted the budget) or Byrd pork, just do what is right to shrink the fed and protect the unborn innocent individual human beings democrats want sacrificed for their empowerment with women voters.

[cake_crumb]

"I firmly believe that the President is tremendously concerned that we're going to be attacked in the Homeland -- and soon -- and that the Dem's playing politics with the Homeland Security Bill is akin to playing Russian Roulette"

Attacked again, you mean.

"The Senate is trying to give the President a barge instead of a speedboat. It's not the same type of Security "vehicle". Homeland Security shouldn't be the place to go for a guaranteed job and wage without accountability for performance"

Exactly. The Senate's aim, of course, is to use this and other emergency defence operations and programs as a weapon with which to raise taxes, put the blame on the president, and ensure Hillary's election to the White House in '04.

[HardStarboard]

>>>I'm sure glad Bush is planning on being President for life.<<<

And just how did you read this into what Bush said. Your powers of comprehension are beyond me.....and probably anyone else too!

[billbears]

I didn't read it into what he said. If you would bother reading my other posts, I was saying I hope he does. Else power like what is being presented will fall into the hands of liberals like Clinton and Edwards of which none of us would want

[wallcrawlr]

Thanks for the insight.

[cake_crumb]

"In order to make sure the country was stronger, I pulled this page out of the economic textbook, the page that says, if you let people keep more of their own money, they're going to spend it on a good or a service. If they spend it on a good or a service, somebody will produce the good and service. And if somebody produces a good or service, some American is more likely to find work. The tax relief came right at the right time for economic growth and jobs"

Excellent economic wisdom. Determining economic health based on the G&G (Groceries & Gas) index, rather than depending upon the Stock Market, which has always been open to manipulation.

I LOVE the way he consistantly slams the Senate by listing each and every act of obstruction, proving that Senate Democrats are harming the public by playing political power games.

Also, he has NEVER liked trial lawyers. I'm very glad he brought up trial lawyers today.

[cake_crumb]

"Has it gone after any Enron officials yet?"

Yes. It's not exactly a secret.

[blackie]

Fire Democrats, Hire Republicans !!

GWB Is The Man !!

Snuff Saddam, NOW !!

Death To all Tyrant's !!

The Second Amendment...
America's Original Homeland Security !!

Freedom Is Worth Fighting For !!

Molon Labe !!

[blackie]

Fire Democrats, Hire Republicans !!

GWB Is The Man !!

Snuff Saddam, NOW !!

Death To all Tyrant's !!

The Second Amendment...
America's Original Homeland Security !!

Freedom Is Worth Fighting For !!

Molon Labe !!

[anniegetyourgun]

Right....we wouldn't want him to have hire/fire/transfer authority in the department overseeing national security.