Posted on 08/24/2004 3:24:43 PM PDT by demlosers
For small-town American mayors, a visit by a sitting president is an honour that can only be dreamed of.
But not in Iowa, or Pennsylvania, or any of the other dozen or so deadlocked "swing states" that have November's US presidential election balanced on a knife-edge.
President George W Bush and his Democratic challenger, Senator John Kerry, have become such frequent visitors that local authorities are rebelling en masse. Mr Bush has visited Pennsylvania 32 times since 2001.
Instead of rolling out the red carpet, they are totting up the costs of police overtime, emergency planning and other expenses, and sending the bill to the two campaigns.
At first, it seemed to work. The Bush campaign sent a cheque for £780 in part payment of a £6,100 bill to cover a campaign visit in May to Dubuque, Iowa.
Since then, however, the campaigns have been returning the bills, or referring inquiries to the US Secret Service, whose policy is that federal law obliges local police forces to meet the costs.
Terry Duggan, mayor of Dubuque, yesterday drew a distinction between an official presidential visit - which he would be honoured to pay for - and political campaigning.
John Brenner, the mayor of York, sent a bill for £11,570 to the Bush campaign, without success. He said: "If Kerry comes, he'll get a letter too."
• Mr Bush called last night for an end to negative commercials, including one that attacks Mr Kerry's Vietnam war record.
Pressed by a group calling itself Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, Mr Bush told reporters that he wanted an end to "that ad and every other ad".
Asked whether his Democratic rival had lied, as the veterans allege, Mr Bush said: "I think Senator Kerry served admirably and he ought to be proud of his record."
And how much do they profit with national exposure and the hordes of reporters and hangers-on that come in and patronize their locales? Typical bilge from the liberal Telerag. Somehow, Kerry is not causing the same problems wherever he goes, he's only 'potentially' a problem.
Isn't the Telegraph the conservative paper in the UK? (was referred to as the TORYgraph)
Isn't the Telegraph the conservative paper in the UK? (was referred to as the TORYgraph)You know....you may be right. I may have been thinking of The Guardian.
Still a slanted piece, though.
What a bunch of BS !!!!
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