Using government resources for political gain:

We read in the New York Times that Bush is on the campaign trail.

His day of intensive campaigning started early in North Carolina, his fifth visit there this year, to help the Senate campaign of Elizabeth Dole, who briefly ran against Mr. Bush for the Republican nomination for president two years ago. It continued through South Carolina and Alabama as Mr. Bush repeatedly described the Senate's performance this year as "lousy."

In South Carolina, Mr. Bush appeared before a crowd of several thousand in an airplane hangar, alongside Mr. Sanford, who is challenging the incumbent Democrat, Gov. Jim Hodges.

Well, lookie here at the White House website. They got his speech and photos from the S. Carolina event. In case you are wondering if the speech was non-political, here are some excerpts [transcript from W.H. website]:

You need a governor who's willing to change the tone of this state. You know, there's just too much partisan bickering that goes on in the Statehouse. You need somebody who is going to rise above it all, somebody who doesn't need a poll or a focus group to tell him how to think, somebody who stands on principle. (Applause.) Somebody that's going to be the governor of everybody when he wins. And that person is Mark Sanford. (Applause.)

... he's going to make you a good governor. I urge you to -- as they're coming down the pike, to support this good candidate and his family with your vote, with your energy, with your enthusiasm and, sure enough, on election day, you will have Mark Sanford as your governor. (Applause.)

No question in my mind, the right man to take the place of Strom Thurmond is soon to be United States Senator Lindsey Graham. (Applause.)

The death tax is bad. The marriage penalty is bad. The child credit is good. Reducing income tax rates helps small business. For the sake of economic vitality, you need to have a United States senator who will make the tax cuts permanent. (Applause.) And that's Lindsey Graham.

Isn't using the White House website to promote a political speech a violation of the law?

Minor additional note: Bush made this comment:

... the best way to secure the homeland is to chase these killers down, one person at a time, and bring them to justice.

That's not correct. The best way to secure the homeland is to prevent (as best as possible) terrorists from acting in the first place. But, just like the corporate scandals, Bush lives in a world where one doesn't regulate or prevent problems. Instead, it's a world where all hell breaks loose and only afterwords, are the culprits sought for punishment.


posted by Quiddity at 10/25/2002 08:50:00 AM