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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Raymond Duray who wrote (230750)	4/26/2005 1:07:44 PM
From: tejek	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1576929

Toxic Tommy is going down in flames. Good riddance. Not if Mr. Bush can help it........... Bush Stands by Embattled DeLay Invites GOP Leader to Social Security Event By JENNIFER LOVEN, AP CRAWFORD, Texas (April 26) - President Bush is adding a helper to his Social Security road tour: House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, who is facing allegations of ethical improprieties but is seen by the White House as crucial to pushing Bush's plans through Congress. In Galveston, Texas, on Tuesday, Bush was discussing his proposal to add private investment accounts to Social Security. DeLay was scheduled to attend the event with the president and, along with a few other Republican members of Congress from Texas, fly back to Washington with him on Air Force One. Polls show a decline in public support for Bush's plan to divert Social Security taxes into private investments. A Washington Post-ABC News poll out Tuesday found that only 45 percent of those surveyed favored the idea, compared with 56 percent who had supported it in a March poll. Bush's approval rating has also fallen, according to the poll, with half of those surveyed disapproving of the job he is doing as president. DeLay is facing questions about the source of funding for some of his foreign trips, political fundraising for Texas elections and his ties to a lobbyist under federal criminal investigation. He has repeatedly denied wrongdoing. DeLay raised $47,750 from January through March for his legal defense fund, far less than the $254,250 the fund collected in the last quarter of last year, a report he filed Monday showed. DeLay spent at least $34,000 from the fund so far this year, mostly for attorneys. DeLay also has attracted criticism for his comments on the judiciary after the death of Terri Schiavo in Florida last month. DeLay has urged investigations and even possible impeachment of ''activist'' judges, a label conservatives apply to those they believe are failing to strictly interpret the Constitution. Far from trying to distance Bush from DeLay's troubles, the White House has responded to criticism from Democrats with steadfast support for the majority leader. Now, with Tuesday's joint appearance, the White House is taking that loyalty to a new level. Part of the reason is pragmatic. One of the most influential and effective conservatives on Capitol Hill, the man known as the Hammer is regarded by the White House as someone who gets things done - and the administration has proposals, such as changes to Social Security, that need an effective shepherd. Bush counselor Dan Bartlett pointed to DeLay's role in House passage of a Bush-backed energy bill. ''I think actions speak louder than words,'' Bartlett said in an interview. ''The House leadership, and specifically Tom DeLay, have not changed. He is a very effective leader who's getting work done on behalf of the American people.'' Bush was heading to Galveston because of the retirement program for county employees there. In 1980, they decided to opt out of Social Security in favor of private accounts. Two neighboring counties followed suit. Going to such places helps Bush illustrate and sell his plan to allow younger workers to put a portion of their Social Security payroll taxes into the stock market. He can talk about how his plan encourages more individual control and offers the prospect of better returns. What he doesn't say is that those better returns are not guaranteed - a person could lose money and end up with less than Social Security could provide. About 5 million Americans in government jobs across the country rely on retirement plans other than Social Security. The president is nearing the end of a 60-day nationwide blitz aimed at building support for his Social Security proposal. Texas marks the 22nd state in which he has held Social Security events since the Feb. 2 State of the Union address in which he unveiled it. Bush was traveling to the Texas coast after spending several days at his ranch near here. On Monday, he played host to Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah for talks that centered on the high oil prices that are pinching American budgets and weighing down Bush's approval ratings. On the specific issue of Social Security, the Washington Post-ABC News poll found that 64 percent of those surveyed disapproved of the job Bush was doing. His overall approval rating of 47 percent matched his all-time low. A total of 1,007 randomly selected adults were surveyed by telephone April 21-24 for the poll, which had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points. Associated Press Writer Suzanne Gamboa in Washington contributed to this report. 04-26-05 10:01EDT