Bush, Congressional Leaders to Talk on Gulf

President Bush said today that he will meet Tuesday with congressional leaders about the U.S. military buildup in the Persian Gulf, a deployment that could expand while Congress is adjourned.

Defense Secretary Dick Cheney raised the possibility last week that up to 100,000 more American troops could be added to the U.S. presence in the region, bringing the total to 310,000.

Some lawmakers have raised concerns about dramatic changes being made in the U.S. deployment without their input.

“I’m looking forward to having talks with members of the leadership tomorrow,” Bush told reporters.

Bush also described the infighting over the budget approved last weekend as “class warfare.”

Bush’s coast-to-coast traveling comes as a Newsweek poll out this weekend showed a dramatic plunge in the public’s approval rating for his job performance. The drop coincides with public worries over the worsening economy and Washington’s sluggish attempts to deal with it.

During a 10-minute news conference on the Tarmac at San Francisco International Airport before leaving for Oklahoma, Bush told reporters that he did not put much credence in such polls.

Bush made appearances today on behalf of Sen. Pete Wilson, whose neck-and-neck gubernatorial bid against Democrat Dianne Feinstein is the Republican Party’s top state priority in next week’s elections.

Bush said he came to California to stump for Wilson because winning the governorship of the influential state is important for the GOP.

“The governorship here is enormously important,” Bush said. “It has national importance. I like the feel of this campaign.”

Bush has visited the state several times to stump for Wilson.

After attending a $25,000-per-couple breakfast for Wilson at a private residence, Bush later today headed to Oklahoma to campaign for GOP gubernatorial candidate Bill Price.

Security forces kept crowds away from the airport where Bush gave his news conference, but about 20 people managed to discover the location of the private breakfast Bush attended from 7:55 a.m. until about 9 a.m. in Hillsborough, a wealthy suburb in the south Bay area. About 50 people attended the breakfast.

“This doesn’t happen every day,” said Scott Williams, who played hooky from work to take his two children, 9 and 6, to catch a glimpse of Bush as his motorcade drove away from the private residence. “I wanted my kids to get a chance to see the President.”