Bush Revives Stump Speech in Louisiana

The message worked well for President Bush throughout the fall: a 30-minute discourse on the benefits of cutting taxes, on filling the Senate with Republicans who would approve his judicial nominations, and -- most emphatically -- the threats posed by Al Qaeda terrorists and Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

Bush delivered this speech more than 50 times on the campaign trail, and his efforts gained much of the credit for the strong GOP showing on election day.

So, with one Senate seat still at stake, he offered it twice again Tuesday in Louisiana, where incumbent Democrat Mary Landrieu faces Republican Suzanne Haik Terrell in a runoff Saturday. The two were the top finishers in the Nov. 5 general election among nine candidates, but a runoff was required because neither got more than 50% of the vote.

Landrieu came close, winning 46%. But three Republicans, led by Terrell with 27%, combined for 51%, giving the GOP hope that Landrieu is vulnerable.

Landrieu narrowly won election to a first term six years ago when she shared the ballot with President Clinton, who was seeking reelection. Polls indicate her runoff with Terrell could be close, especially without a solid turnout by African Americans, who tend to vote overwhelmingly Democratic.

With Bush’s help, Republicans took over Democratic seats in Georgia, Minnesota and Missouri in November’s balloting to regain control of the 100-member Senate. The Louisiana election will determine whether there are 51 GOP senators or 52.

That could represent an important difference on some closely contested issues, such as economic policy, White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer said.

To help Terrell, the state election commissioner, Vice President Dick Cheney and former President George Bush already have campaigned in the state.

The current president, in stops Tuesday in Shreveport and New Orleans, provided one overarching argument for Terrell’s election. “She’s the kind of person with whom I can work,” he said at a rally in Shreveport.

In other words, a Republican almost certain to support his economic, social and foreign policy agenda.

Bush stressed that he needed more Republican senators to overcome Democratic opposition to some of his judicial nominees.

He won some of his heartiest cheers here Tuesday when he said he looked forward to “working with Suzie to make sure that our judiciary represents the values of Louisiana.”

Bush noted that after the Nov. 5 election, the Senate acted quickly on several pending judicial nominations in its lame-duck session.

“Amazing what an election did,” Bush said. “Kind of changed the attitude in Washington.... They were playing politics with the judges.”

He also focused on his bid to make permanent the $1.35-trillion tax cut Congress enacted in 2001. As of now, the tax cuts -- many of which take effect in the next few years -- will all expire after 2010.

“There’s one person in this Senate race who’s willing to stand up and say she will join the president in listening to the people and make the tax cuts permanent -- and that is Suzie Terrell,” Bush said.

Landrieu brings significant advantages to her reelection bid, including deep political roots in the state. Her father, Moon Landrieu, was a mayor of New Orleans and served in President Carter’s Cabinet. She has served in the state Legislature and as state treasurer.

As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, she has directed federal funds toward her state.

She also has a voting record that may shield her from some of the GOP attacks on her. She voted for the 10-year tax cut measure. She supports the administration’s bid to drill for oil in part of the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge. She voted for the resolution Bush sought to authorize the potential use of force against Iraq.

Overall, she claims to have voted for 75% of the legislation Bush has supported.

Terrell, though, said it would better serve Bush’s interests to replace Landrieu and increase the GOP’s margin in the Senate. “I will not be a roadblock to your leadership,” she said as she introduced him in Shreveport.

The president dealt gingerly with the state’s largely Democratic political tradition. Louisiana hasn’t been represented in the Senate by a Republican since the post-Civil War Reconstruction period. But the state’s senior senator, John B. Breaux, has proved to be a useful link to the Democrats for Bush.

At the rally in Shreveport, Bush suggested that in the closely divided Senate, having both Breaux and Terrell in office would best serve Louisiana’s interests.

“It makes sense to have one in one party, and a senator in the majority party if you want to get something done,” he said.

The president received a roaring welcome at the Shreveport event. Several thousand people on the floor of the Louisiana State Fairgrounds arena waved small American flags to greet him, while more flags swayed in the hands of perhaps 5,000 people in the arena seats.

Bush reminded his audience that he had been in Shreveport once before as president. On Sept. 11, 2001, Air Force One brought him to Barksdale Air Force Base, as he hurried from an appearance in Florida to the security of military bases in Louisiana and Nebraska before returning to Washington after the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The threat posed by that day’s terrorism illustrated “why I elevated the issue of Iraq,” Bush said.

Bush also headlined a fund-raising lunch for Terrell in New Orleans. As he arrived at the downtown hotel for the event, he was greeted by more than 100 protesters shouting their opposition to a possible war with Iraq. Many chanted, “No blood for oil.”