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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Bush pushing hard before Election Day


President Bush carries an unidentified toddler on a campaign stop Monday in Statesboro, Ga. 
 (The Spokesman-Review)
James Gerstenzang Los Angeles Times

SUGAR LAND, Texas – Using the backdrop of the Iraq war to launch some of his toughest campaign attacks this political season, President Bush accused Democrats on Monday of being more concerned with pulling U.S. troops out of Iraq than with winning the war.

On a day whose itinerary illustrated the challenges Republicans face a week from today as they try to retain House and Senate majorities, Bush went to the heart of the issues that have helped him and his party come out on top in the 2002 and 2004 elections: terrorism, taxes and a conservative social agenda.

Citing their opposition on key anti-terrorism measures, Bush said that when it came to eavesdropping on suspected terrorists, detaining them or trying them, Democrats “just say no.”

“So when the Democrats ask for your vote, what’s your answer?” he asked his audiences in Texas and earlier in Statesboro, Ga., where more than 5,000 supporters gathered at Georgia Southern University.

“Just say no!” the crowd roared at each stop.

The office of Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., issued a terse response: “Contrary to the president’s intentions, Americans are just saying no to his administration’s no-plan, no-end approach to Iraq.”

In the final week of the campaign, Bush is barnstorming across the U.S., appearing at what the White House calls “2006 victory rallies” and serving red-meat Republican issues to the party faithful to prompt these core GOP voters to the polls.

To reach that constituency, Bush also took to the airwaves Monday, as did Vice President Dick Cheney, with each giving an interview to programs on Fox News Channel.

Cheney told “Your World with Neil Cavuto” that insurgents in Iraq had timed the increase in violence – October has been the fourth-deadliest month for U.S. troops, with more than 100 killed – to the U.S. political calendar.

“It’s my belief that they’re very sensitive to the fact that we’ve got an election scheduled,” he said.

In a two-part interview that began Monday on “Hannity and Colmes,” Bush charged that some Democratic leaders “are becoming isolationists. And that’s dangerous.”

“Protecting this country and keeping this economy growing are the two most important issues,” he said. “And you can’t protect the country if you retreat from overseas, and you can’t keep the economy growing if you raise taxes. And that’s exactly what the Democrats in the House would like to do.”

In Georgia, Bush drew sharp partisan distinctions as he belittled the opposition to the war, which is proving a powerful pro-Democrat issue: “The Democrat approach on Iraq comes down to this: The terrorists win and America loses,” he said.

“The Democrat goal is to get out of Iraq. The Republican goal is to win in Iraq,” he said, his shirt sleeves rolled up as members of the crowd used campaign signs as fans. “You cannot win a war unless you are willing to fight the war.”

On the economy, Bush linked the growth of jobs – 6.6 million added since August 2003, he said – and a 2.2 percent increase in average wages over the past year with the tax cuts championed by his administration. Adopting one of his signature campaign lines for the current week, he said, “If you want to keep that money in your pocket instead of sending it to Washington, D.C., you vote for Republicans on Election Day.”

And he returned to an issue important to evangelicals and other social conservatives, attacking last week’s New Jersey State Supreme Court ruling that “raises doubt about the institution of marriage” to bolster his case for Republican candidates who would oppose judges who “legislate from the bench.”

The president’s opposition to same-sex marriage brought the audience to its feet: He could not have asked for a better response in motivating supporters to vote.

“You can bet one thing – we’re going to sprint to the finish line,” Bush said.