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Politics : WHO IS RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT IN 2004 -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: calgal who wrote (3757)	7/30/2003 10:55:11 PM
From: calgal	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 10965

Just trying to get the edge Dean Blasts Bush, Rivals on Economy Wednesday, July 30, 2003 WASHINGTON — A double-barrel shot from Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean (search) Wednesday blasted both President Bush for "destroying the economy" and his rivals for not opposing the president's policies strongly enough. "The Bush administration has created a crisis for American workers and brought financial disaster to more and more American families," Dean told an audience at a labor union hall in Iowa, home of the first presidential caucus. "Too many Democrats in Washington have become so afraid of losing that they have remained silent or only halfheartedly fought the very agenda that is destroying the Democratic dream of America," he added. Dean is not the only Democrat attacking the administration for the economy. In fact, while he has surged to the top of the polls on his Bush-bashing, anti-war rhetoric, other candidates have focused a great deal on the economy, laid out their own plans and blasted Bush as hard or harder. Bush has defended his tax cuts by saying that the budget deficit would have occurred anyway because of recession and spending on the war on terror and homeland security. Bush said he is highly optimistic about the economy and on Wednesday touted his accomplishments. "Paychecks are already reflecting the reduction in income tax rates, which is providing relief to millions of taxpayers and small businesses," Bush said Wednesday in a Rose Garden press conference. "American families have begun to receive checks from a $400 per child increase in the child tax credit. This time when we say, 'The check's in the mail,' we mean it." While Bush pledged that his administration would do more to help people find jobs, Dean did not offer any new economic proposals of his own. Instead, he repackaged various ideas he has already laid out on the campaign trail. But most of them, in one form or another, have already made their way through Congress or have been proposed by all or most of his rivals. Among his suggestions, Dean would: — Repeal all of the president's tax cuts; — Raise the minimum wage; — Expand unemployment insurance; — Increase aid to states; and — Cut the cost of health insurance for employers. His proposals have already drawn fire from Democratic rival Sen. John Kerry (search) of Massachusetts. The two are locked in a tight battle in New Hampshire, the leadoff primary state. Kerry supports some of the Bush tax cuts, saying they help the middle class. In a shot at Dean, Kerry released a statement saying, "Real Democrats don't walk away from the middle class." Dean has said that creating new jobs in America will require increased government investment, meaning federal spending on things like infrastructure and research and development. But he has not put a price tag on his proposals, saying he will offer details and specifics in September. That prompted several rival campaigns to note that Dean is doing all sorts of complaining about problems but offering very few solutions. Fox News' Carl Cameron contributed to this report. foxnews.com

To: calgal who wrote (3757)	7/30/2003 11:30:21 PM
From: calgal	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 10965

Panel Democrats Shrug at Bush Nominee Wednesday, July 30, 2003 WASHINGTON — President Bush's judicial nominee Henry Saad (search) appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday but faced no questioning from panel Democrats. "As far as I am concerned, you've had your hearing," committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (search), R-Utah, told the Arab-American state court judge. Saad is not necessarily disliked by Democrats, but his nomination has been caught in the political crosshairs, a product of long memories and old grudges. Tensions are high among Democrats who say they oppose Saad's nomination to the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals because Republicans once opposed President Clinton (search)'s nominees to the same court. Four openings exist on the court based in Cincinnati and representing Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee. Bush's four nominees have been opposed by Sens. Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow of Michigan. "The fact that the last three-and-a-half years of Clinton's presidency passed without a hearing on Michigan's 6th Circuit nominees was not because there were no Michigan vacancies on that court," Levin said. Republicans are quick to point out that when it comes to Michigan nominations to the federal bench, Bush is zero for six. President Clinton, on the other hand, had nine of his Michigan nominations confirmed. Only two languished without review. Six of President George H.W. Bush's nominees for the Michigan courts were confirmed. Two did not get hearings, and in 1992, one of them was Saad. While this hearing was going nowhere fast, over on the Senate floor, Republicans tried again unsuccessfully to get another Bush nomination off dead center. Democrats are filibustering the nomination of Miguel Estrada (search), the first Hispanic nominated to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. A motion to choke off debate and move forward requires 60 votes. Republicans won 55 votes -- the same number they have had each of the previous seven times such a cloture motion failed. Democrats insist they will not allow a final vote until the Washington appellate lawyer answers more of their questions in a public hearing, or the White House releases Estrada's working papers from his time at the Justice Department. In the meantime, Democrats say they may also set up a filibuster for Saad, making him the sixth casualty of Senate politics. "I have no doubt that the majority of our caucus will support the Michigan senators," said Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis. Among the others are Texas judge Priscilla Owen, who lost a filibuster vote Tuesday. Republicans have planned votes for Thursday and Friday on Alabama Attorney General William Pryor and California judge Carolyn Kuhl, but both are expected to be filibustered, as is Mississippi judge Charles Pickering when he comes before the Senate again. Republicans say they will continue to pressure Democrats to vote on the president's nominations. "The American people deserve it," said Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn. "They understand that we are not fulfilling our responsibility in this body without an up-or-down vote. That is our job. That is our responsibility in advise-and-consent." Fox News' Brian Wilson and The Associated Press contributed to this report URL:http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,93356,00.html

To: calgal who wrote (3757)	7/31/2003 8:34:40 AM
From: stockman_scott	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 10965

RICHARD RUSSELL ASKING FOR APOLOGIES RE IRAQ WAR "July 30, 2003 -- I took a lot of flack from half a dozens subscribers when I questioned the reasons behind President Bush's war on Iraq. Now the criticism has died down to almost zero. C'mon, true patriots, I'm now accepting apologies. Isn't it time to admit that the reasons for the "war," were phoney, that the so-called intelligence leading to the war was a "crock" of you know what, and that the rationale that Bush and the boys gave us for the war was as daffy as it was wrong? If death and destruction weren't involved, the "war against Iraq" would go down as a classic Keystone Kops comedy. But now the Iraq mess is turning into a political football. How much will the war cost? How will it be paid for? How long will our military be forced to stay in Iraq? Will the Iraq mess result in a one-term presidency for Bush? Both Republicans and Democrats are now attacking the While House. Said Delaware Dem Joe Biden yesterday as he grilled two Aministration officials (Bolton and Wolfowitz) -- "I think you are going to lose the American people if you don't come forward now and tell them what you know -- that it's going to cost tens of billions of American taxpayers' dollars and tens of thousands of American troops for an extended period of time." Well, that's politics for you, and the Dems finally have an issue -- Republican stupidity and duplicity. But whether the Dems have a candidate capable of beating Bush remains a question. Probably the guy that can beat Bush is George W. Bush himself. As far as this observer is concerned, Mr. Bush is looking guiltier and more defensive as time goes by. "