Free Republic

Republican leaders of Congress are leaving the capital surprised, a bit dazed and not entirely happy about the short but eventful lame-duck session of Congress. George W. Bush, buoyed by the election returns of Nov. 5, called the tune as never before, with meaningful implications for the future. The GOP leadership of both the House and Senate wanted to do as little as possible and then leave town soon after they returned following the mid-term election. President Bush had other plans. He forced passage of two long-stalled bills-creating a Department of Homeland Security and providing terrorism insurance-which the legislative leaders...

<p>Bad legislation is worse than no legislation at all. That is the case with the terrorism-insurance bill that is now emerging from a conference committee on Capitol Hill. But the conference report has not been signed. So it is not officially a done deal. That means it can still be improved. And improvement is what it needs. Failing that, it needs to be killed until it can be improved.</p>

<p>Bad legislation is worse than no legislation at all. That is the case with the terrorism-insurance bill that is now emerging from a conference committee on Capitol Hill. But the conference report has not been signed. So it is not officially a done deal. That means it can still be improved. And improvement is what it needs. Failing that, it needs to be killed until it can be improved.</p>

WASHINGTON - House and Senate negotiators moved closer to inking a final agreement on a $100 billion terrorism insurance package that lawmakers hope will stimulate the economy and help cover the cost of insurance against future terrorist attacks. But time ran out as the Senate left Washington on Thursday to do last-minute campaigning before the Nov. 5 election. House lawmakers departed a day earlier. Lawmakers worked until the final minutes, but were unable to get the final House and Senate leadership signatures on a compromise negotiators said would have the government cover 90 percent of all terror losses after insurance...

Good morning. In the past year and a half, we've seen some tough times for the American economy. We've suffered through a bursting stock market bubble, terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, and discoveries of corporate fraud. We were wrestling with recession when President Bush entered office, and it took the better part of a year to shake it off, even as its consequences have lingered. People have lost jobs, and retirement accounts are hurting. Economic security is on all our minds. Through all of this turmoil and hardship, the American consumer has continued to bolster our economy and...

For Immediate ReleaseOffice of the Press SecretaryOctober 12, 2002 Radio Address by the President to the Nation      Audio THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This week, both the House and Senate passed strong bipartisan measures authorizing the use of force in Iraq if it becomes necessary. Our country and our Congress are now united in purpose. America is speaking with one voice: Iraq must disarm and comply with all existing U.N. resolutions, or it will be forced to comply. Confronting Iraq is an urgent matter of national security. America's economic security, especially the creation of good jobs is also an urgent matter,...

Speaking at a Labor Day picnic outside a union hall in Neville Island, a suburb of Pittsburgh, Penn., President Bush pledged to fight recession and terrorism on behalf of American workers. Bush urged action on his terrorism insurance, energy, retirement protection and tax-cutting policies. "What I worry about is when I hear stories about people who can't find work," Bush said to members of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, a union that broke away last year from the AFL-CIO. Bush demanded that the Democrat-led Senate pass legislation on energy exploration and terrorism insurance, which he believes...

Senate Democrat Leader Declares Terror Insur Bill `Dead' WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- Senate Majority Whip Harry Reid, D-Nev., declared a terrorism insurance bill in the Senate dead after failing Tuesday night to get an agreement with Republicans that would allow the legislation to proceed to negotiations with the House. "As far as I'm concerned, this bill is dead. I am not putting the unanimous consent request in my desk anymore; I am putting it in the garbage can and we will see what happens," Reid said on the Senate floor late Tuesday. While the Senate and House have both passed bills...

For Immediate ReleaseOffice of the Press SecretaryJuly 20, 2002 Radio Address of the President to the Nation      Audio THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. As Congress approaches the August recess, it must take decisive steps to provide economic security to the American people, to demand high ethical standards from corporate leaders, to promote economic growth and job creation, and to curb its appetite for excessive spending. We must promote economic security by enforcing high ethical standards for American businesses. Unethical business practices by corporate leaders amount to theft and fraud. These practices are unacceptable, and we are fighting them with active prosecutions...