Bush gets chopper-eye view of fires -- and then turns to politics

President George W. Bush flew west today for a Marine One view of damage from wildfires around Redding, Calif., and to talk with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger about the joint federal and state efforts to fight them. At least that's the way the White House presented the focus of the trip.

But after the "official" elements of the trip, there's the "business" of the presidency, much as it exists in this political season: raising money for Republican candidates.

So, after arriving in the closest thing California has to Bush Country -- that would be Shasta County -- he was off to Napa and then Tucson and Houston, all for the purpose of fattening candidate and party bank accounts.

Of course, by scheduling official segments of a trip that is otherwise focused on fundraising, the president can cut the high cost of his travels that must be paid by the beneficiaries, because they only must pay a pro-rated amount based on th percentage of the trip devoted to politics.

Even before the president stepped out of the lower door of Air Force One, there was a reminder of the fires' fallout: The plane threw off a plume of ocre-hued dust as it taxied to a location near a package delivery terminal.

Local residents in shorts and tank tops turned out by the hundreds, in 99-degree heat, waving flags and supportive banners. A smattering of antiwar protesters and Barack Obama fans camped out on the Redding Municipal Airport's entry road.

As Bush flew west, Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.), chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, issued a statement urging the president to reconsider his objection to providing emergency supplemental funds to deal with wildfires in the region.

He said that as a result of White House objections, the most recent emergency supplemental legislation did not include $450 million for wildfire suppression and to repair burned lands.
Lightening storms on June 20 and 21 ignited more than 1,750 fires across Northern California. If current mild weather holds, officials hope to have the bulk of them contained by the end of July, but some of the more remote fires are likely to burn until the first big rains arrive.

For a minute-by-minute account of the president's fire tour, check out the Redding Record Searchlight.

-- Eric Bailey and James Gerstenzang

Photo: Saul Loeb / AFP/Getty Images

Comments

[Edguardo]

Every four years we hear the same complaints about a President using government funds and services during an election season.

Thank you to LA Times for keeping up the tradition! (sic)