Bush booed as he lays wreath at King's grave
January 16, 2004 bY DEB RIECHMANN
ATLANTA -- Looking for election-year support from black voters in the South, President Bush was greeted at Martin Luther King's grave here Thursday by noisy demonstrators who chanted ''Go home, Bush!'' after receiving a warmer reception at a run-down church in New Orleans.
As Bush placed a wreath on King's crypt, a low chorus of boos could be heard from across the street where an estimated 700 to 800 protesters beat drums and waved signs bearing slogans such as ''War is not the answer'' and ''It's not a photo-op, George.''
Bush's four-stop swing through Georgia and Louisiana allowed him to court two important constituencies -- religious conservatives, who make up his base of support, and black voters, only 9 percent of whom supported him in 2000. Events in both states were paired with fund-raisers, which raised $2.3 million for his campaign account, already brimming with more than $130 million.
The president, standing silently, his head slightly bowed, appeared unfazed by the protesters at King's tomb, where he laid a wreath to mark what would have been the civil rights leader's 75th birthday.
King Center officials said they extended no formal invitation but accepted Bush's offer to come.
The president's critics dismissed his visit to the grave as a symbolic gesture that only underscored shortcomings in the administration's relationship with blacks.
In Washington, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, said not one policy decision made by the Bush administration has mirrored King's dream. AP
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