Good description of the buses.
Michigan is first stop for president's campaign bus convoy Ohio is next on Bush's itinerary
By Richard Benedetto and Judy Keen
USA TODAY
NILES, Mich. -- President Bush, on a campaign bus for the first time since October 2000, led a 25-vehicle convoy across this crucial state Monday in search of votes.
His splashy retinue guaranteed attention. He rode in a customized 45-foot bus with a red-and-white swoosh across the blue body, ''Bush-Cheney '04'' and ''Yes, America Can'' on its sides. Behind him were seven more buses, Secret Service vehicles and Michigan State Police cruisers. Freeway ramps and side streets were closed briefly by troopers on motorcycles while the mega-motorcade rolled across the countryside.
Bush's first full-fledged campaign swing of the year, which continues today in Ohio, included a question-and-answer session here, a speech in Kalamazoo and a rally in Sterling Heights.
Bush made it clear at his first stop that he's ditching the formality of presidential appearances for the regular-guy approach politicians employ. ''You think it's all right if I take off my jacket?'' he asked. The crowd yelled its assent. ''We're not in Washington anymore,'' he said.
Bush has two identical buses, with ''executive VIP'' interiors customized by Hemphill Brothers Coach Co. in Nashville. Hemphill spends $1 million each to outfit its buses, which have been used by music stars including Britney Spears, Beyoncé and Cher. The campaign is leasing the buses for $45,000 a week.
Each has three passenger compartments, two bathrooms, a galley, flip-down TV screens with satellite programming and a leather recliner for Bush. Campaign officials wouldn't describe security modifications. Bush aides use the second VIP bus. Reporters ride in regular buses.
The trip is meant to ensure that voters get the message that Bush is concerned about their problems. ''The best way to generate economic growth is to let people keep more of their money,'' Bush said. ''Michigan lags behind, and I understand that.''
The two states have lost more than a half-million jobs since Bush took office. Al Gore won here in 2000; Bush narrowly carried Ohio. Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, the likely Democratic nominee, took a bus tour of the same states last week.
Bush also aimed criticism at Kerry. In Kalamazoo, where 4,000 supporters filled a hockey rink, he criticized Kerry for promising to create programs that Bush said can be financed only with tax increases. ''Raising taxes is the wrong policy at the wrong time,'' Bush said.
He accused Kerry of waffling last week when asked whether he owned a sport-utility vehicle. Kerry first said he doesn't, then said, ''The family has it. I don't have it.''
''What this country needs is a leader who speaks clearly, and when he says something, he means it,'' Bush said.
Audience members in the Niles High School gym, who were given tickets by local Republicans, asked Bush gentle questions.
Philip Hegg, who owns an executive recruiting company in St. Joseph, Mich., told Bush that he promised his daughter a trip to Disney World if she ''learned to use the potty correctly.'' Thanks to savings from Bush's tax cuts, Hegg said, the family took the vacation this year. ''That's great,'' Bush said.
The Democratic National Committee organized a shadow tour with local Democrats holding news conferences to ''highlight what Bush has failed to do on the economy and homeland security,'' spokesman Jano Cabrera said. |
