Start your engines

President Bush announced, "Gentlemen, start your engines," to the 43 drivers at the Daytona 500 on Sunday.

"I'm thrilled to be here," President Bush said. "This is more than an event, it's a way of life for a lot of people."

However, it is the economy that the President is concerned might outweigh the cultural differences that keep the critical NASCAR dads from voting Democrat. The strategy Bush is going to take is to try to change the psychology of the people who are making the business decisions in our economy.

"The facts bear me out," Bush said. "The last six months of growth have been tremendous. Housing starts are way up. Inflation is low. Interest is low. New jobs are being created ... Things are looking better for America."

"There's an optimism in our country that is undeniable," he added. "The key question is: Are we wise enough to ... keep the policies in place that encourage growth."

Bush continues to call on Congress to make his tax cuts permanent.

The Democrats continue to play the class warfare card, saying that making the tax cut permanent will benefit the rich and increase an already record $500-billion-plus budget deficit.  (2/16/2004)

• “… two of the greatest war Presidents in American history — Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt — had military backgrounds that make Bush's look distinguished: Lincoln, minimal (less than half a year of militia duty); Roosevelt, none.” – writes columnist Charles Krathammer]

• "The basic conclusion is that it's [the Bush tax cuts] been a very important factor," Ed McKelvey, an economist at investment firm Goldman Sachs said.  (2/17/2004)

Ohio battleground

The Washington Post reports on the Bush campaign’s pre-emptive strike regarding Ohio’s dismal employment numbers before Democrats begin flooding the state:

Ohio reporters jammed a conference call that the Bush-Cheney campaign set up yesterday with Rep. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), who began by saying he wanted to "set the record straight" about how Bush's economic policies have benefited the state.

Kerry’s campaign’s rapid response team followed up with mayors from Ohio in a press conference call saying they haven’t seen any recovery.(2/18/2004)

Bush pushing free trade

The Bush administration is pushing for further free trade agreements.

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick said, “We are willing to take significant cuts in the domestic subsidies if we can get Japan and Europe to cut as well. The key for us is getting major economies like Europe and Japan to get a fair shot at developing countries."

"The free trade agreements provide another role, which is to demonstrate that at least in the case of the United States, we're going to move ahead towards open markets and free trade one way or the other," Zoellick said.

"Some countries might find themselves left out," he warned.

Democrat Presidential candidates have frequently voiced opposition to free trade and have advocated various methods of returning to trade barriers to protect union jobs.  (2/18/2004)

Ashcroft sued

The Washington Times reports on how a federal prosecutor is accusing Attorney General John Ashcroft and other key Justice Department officials of "gross mismanagement" in the War on Terrorism:

Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Convertino said in a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia that Justice Department executives violated his First Amendment and Privacy Act rights in retaliation for exposing what he called malfeasance and incompetence in the war against terrorists.

The lawsuit said department officials in Washington knowingly disclosed to the media false and misleading information about Mr. Convertino in retaliation for his criticism of the war on terrorism and his testimony to the Senate committee investigating terrorism.

The Times reports that:

… the lawsuit said the veteran prosecutor had been "vocal and consistent with his supervisors and officials within the Department of Justice" for more than a year over his concerns about a lack of support, cooperation, effective assistance and resources "that plagued and hindered" the government's ability to identify and prosecute suspected terrorists.

Justice Department officials declined to comment on the suit.   (2/18/2004)

• "We don't shirk from any challenge. We are rising to the call of history," President Bush said. "Now and in the future, this great republic will lead the cause of freedom and peace."   (2/18/2004)

• "I think it's a political, you know, witch hunt, actually, on the part of Democrats," the first lady said in an interview with The Associated Press. (2/19/2004)

• "I've seen how steady he is, how he's steadied our country and how he's steeled our country for the fight against terror. ... I'm really proud of him. I love to have the opportunity to go around the country and talk about him." – First Lady Laura Bush speaks about Dubya.  (2/19/2004)

Laura Bush criticizes Dems for AWOL claims

First Lady Laura Bush has been campaigning in California, Nevada and Arkansas and in an interview with the Associated Press, expressed criticism of the Democrats’ claims of her husband being AWOL:

"I think it's a political, you know, witch hunt, actually, on the part of Democrats," the first lady said in an interview with The Associated Press.

The president served in the Texas Air National Guard during the Vietnam War and did report for duty in Alabama where he was briefly assigned, Mrs. Bush said.

"He knows that he served honorably," she said. "He knows that he showed up the whole time."

The First Lady said she was glad to visit around the country and tell Americans what the President is like. The word she uses to describe him is, steady:

"I've seen how steady he is, how he's steadied our country and how he's steeled our country for the fight against terror. ... I'm really proud of him. I love to have the opportunity to go around the country and talk about him."

And from ABC’s The Note comes this Laura gem of an interview:

Yesterday's World News Tonight with Peter Jennings featured an exclusive interview with the president's secret weapon: First Lady Laura Bush. ABC News White House Correspondent Terry Moran traveled with Mrs. Bush as she raises money for her husband's re-election.

On this trip, for the first time, Mrs. Bush spoke out on the controversy surrounding the president's service in the National Guard decades ago--before she met him.

Moran: "But you knew or you say you know that he was pulling guard duty in Alabama?"

Mrs. Bush: "Absolutely."

Moran: "How?"

Mrs. Bush: "Of course. Well, because he told me he was. And the records had been shown. He wouldn't have gotten an honorable discharge if he hadn't pulled his duty."

And she had harsh words for Democratic Party Chairman Terry McAuliffe, who has leveled the charge that her husband was AWOL at that time.

Mrs. Bush: "I don't think it's fair to really lie about allegations about someone like the Democratic National Chairman did."

Moran:: "He lied?"

Mrs. Bush: "(Laughs) Well, he made it up. guess I should say."  (2/19/2004)

MoveOn.org censure gaining

MoveOn.org believes that their movement to censure the President is gaining and they cite the following as reasons:

“Our Censure campaign has picked up incredible momentum. Already, more than half a million MoveOn members have signed onto our petition calling on Congress to censure President Bush for misleading us into war.

We're advertising in the Washington Post and on radio stations around the country, and we've written letters to our newspaper editors. Now it's time to call.

Americans are outraged. A new poll says "a majority of Americans believe President Bush either lied or deliberately exaggerated evidence that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction in order to justify war." [1] A recent Newsweek cover asks "Will Anyone Pay?" [2]

Even Fox News' Bill O'Reilly is now admitting that Bush misled us, saying, "I was wrong. I am not pleased about it at all and I think all Americans should be concerned about this." [3]

The fact is, President Bush was planning for war with Iraq from his first days in office. [4] Having made that decision, he ran a campaign of misinformation, hype and hysteria that led us into war.

Before the war, Bush was repeatedly told there was no definitive evidence that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction. [5] He knew Iraq was not a nuclear threat. [6] He knew there was no Iraq connection to 9/11. [7] Iraq posed no imminent danger to the United States. There was no case for a pre-emptive war.

Yet Bush relentlessly led us into a war that has cost 500 American lives, left 3,000 seriously injured, and wasted tens of billions of dollars. Thousands of Iraqis have been killed as well.

President Bush has betrayed our trust, and there must be consequences.

Please call your Senators and Representative now.”   (2/19/2004)

“Mr. Bush is the triumph of the seemingly average American man. He's normal. He thinks in a sort of common-sense way. He speaks the language of business and sports and politics. You know him. He's not exotic. But if there's a fire on the block, he'll run out and help. He'll help direct the rig to the right house and count the kids coming out and say, "Where's Sally?" He's responsible. He's not an intellectual. Intellectuals start all the trouble in the world. And then when the fire comes they say, "I warned Joe about that furnace." And, "Does Joe have children?" And "I saw a fire once. It spreads like syrup. No, it spreads like explosive syrup. No, it's formidable and yet fleeting." When the fire comes they talk. Bush ain't that guy.” – writes Peggy Noonan.   (2/20/2004)

“When you hear people say, `Oh, let's just let the tax cuts expire,' it's a tax increase," Bush said in an event at the White House to promote his economic record. "It's a code word for, `I'm raising your taxes,' to increase the amount of money we have to spend here in Washington on new programs, on programs that meet a particular political desire of the appropriators." said President Bush.

“… George Bush said he couldn’t be held responsible for knowing the number of new jobs because he’s not in charge of the numbers. Well it doesn’t take a lot of math to count to zero,” said John Kerry.  (2/20/2004)

Peggy Noonan on Dubya: he’s normal

Excerpts of Peggy Noonan’s column in the Wall Street Journal on George W. Bush, excerpts:

I was asked this week why the president seems so attractive to the heartland, to what used to be called Middle America. A big question. I found my mind going to this word: normal.

Mr. Bush is the triumph of the seemingly average American man. He's normal. He thinks in a sort of common-sense way. He speaks the language of business and sports and politics. You know him. He's not exotic. But if there's a fire on the block, he'll run out and help. He'll help direct the rig to the right house and count the kids coming out and say, "Where's Sally?" He's responsible. He's not an intellectual. Intellectuals start all the trouble in the world. And then when the fire comes they say, "I warned Joe about that furnace." And, "Does Joe have children?" And "I saw a fire once. It spreads like syrup. No, it spreads like explosive syrup. No, it's formidable and yet fleeting." When the fire comes they talk. Bush ain't that guy. Republicans love the guy who ain't that guy. Americans love the guy who ain't that guy.

Someone said to me: But how can you call him normal when he came from such privilege? Indeed he did. But there's nothing lemonade-on-the-porch-overlooking-the-links-at-the-country-club about Mr. Bush. He isn't smooth. He actually has some of the roughness and the resentments of the self-made man. I think the reason for this is Texas. He grew up in a white T-shirt and jeans playing ball in the street with the other kids in the subdivision. Barbara Bush wasn't exactly fancy. They lived like everyone else. She spoke to me once with great nostalgia of her early days in Texas, when she and her husband and young George slept in the same bed in an apartment in Midland. A prostitute lived in the complex. Barbara Bush just thought she was popular. Then they lived in a series of suburban houses.

George W. Bush didn't grow up at Greenwich Country Day with a car and a driver dropping him off, as his father had. Until he went off to boarding school, he thought he was like everyone else. That's a gift, to think you're just like everyone else in America. It can be the making of you.

 (2/20/2004)

Bush campaign ads

The Bush campaign is looking to roll out ads to define Sen. John Kerry to the public, according to the Washington Post.

"The beauty of John Kerry is 32 years of votes and public pronouncements," said Mark McKinnon, the chief media adviser. McKinnon suggested a possible tag line: "He's been wrong for 32 years, he's wrong now."

While there will be positive Bush ads that will focus on Bush’s proposals there will also be the Kerry defining ads as well beginning next month:

Kerry spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter said: "These attacks and smears against us are just one more example of the fundamental need to change the direction of the nation from George Bush's extreme agenda to an agenda that meets the needs of mainstream America. And these attacks allow us to turn to real issues in response, which is precisely what the voters want to hear." As for the liberal label, she said: "The fact is John Kerry doesn't fit the mold Republicans throw Democrats in -- and they don't know what to do about it."  (2/20/2004)

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