The American Spectator

Washington Prowler

(Page 2 of 2)

"If Senator Daschle wants $4 billion for drought relief, he should draw it from the emergency funding provisions of the farm bill," says the White House aide. "That's why we gave them the money. It should be more than enough to cover everyone's concerns. They don't need emergency funding. It's already there, thanks to the forward-looking vision of President Bush."

But the Republican National Committee is concerned that the headlines in South Dakota newspapers will read: "Daschle asks for drought relief, White House says, 'No.'"

"It plays a bit into Daschle's hand," says a senior RNC staffer. "Here he is , going to the mat for constituents, while Bush isn't. It makes it tougher for the president to go into South Dakota on a campaign swing, even if he budgeted for drought relief before it was even an issue."

But another White House aide in looking at this cut through to a point lost by many, including the Prowler. "If Tom Daschle really cared that much about Tim Johnson and his re-election, then why didn't Daschle let Johnson make the emergency appeal so he'd look better in the eyes of the voters back home?"

No one in Daschle's office would comment. But a staffer on the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee says that the idea of having Johnson float the emergency appeal was raised in a Senate leadership meeting, but nixed by Daschle. "He felt it was the kind of request that should come from the senior senator from the state," says the DSCC staffer.

p> FORCED BUSING br> Late Tuesday night, the House Ways and Means Committee passed the $350 billion, 10-year prescription drug benefit plan floated by Hill Republicans and by the White House. Republican Whip Tom DeLay predicted the bill would successfully pass through the House. /p>

Yet, even though passage by the House seems assured, House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt is planning on busing into Washington seniors who've taken bus trips to Canada to buy their medications. The AFL-CIO is planning a similar field trip for seniors to Florida. Why put the oldsters through this kind of travel for a bill that is certain to win House approval?

"To make a point that Republicans don't care about seniors," says a House Democratic leadership staffer. "These folks would still have to ride a bus to Canada if the Bush plan passed. We're not wasting their time."

When informed that the AFL-CIO was doing a similar media event in Florida, the House staffer told the Prowler that the AFL-CIO had also helped organize and finance the Gephardt event. "But the union isn't officially involved in this Washington event."

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