President Bush visits Dubuque

President George Bush campaigned in Dubuque today, defending his record and attacking his democrat opponent, John Kerry. Bush says “the last three years have brought serious challenges” and the president says he’s offered “serious answers.” Bush says he’s running “for a reason.” Bush says he wants the nation to be “safer and stronger and better.” Bush says he faces a tough reelection campaign, and he asked the supporters in the room to “get your uniforms ready” because he’s running against an “experienced United States Senator” who’s been there “long enough “to take just about every side on every issue.” Bush says Kerry’s position flips remind him of “that old Texas saying: if you don’t like the weather, just wait a few minutes and it’ll change.” Bush was speaking in Dubuque as Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld was testifying in Washington, D.C., explaining how the military has responded to the controversy over American soldiers abusing Iraqi prisoners. Bush did not mention Rumsfeld by name, but he did offer words of apology for the recent discovery that some American soldiers apparently mistreated Iraqi prisoners. Bush says “the abhorrent pictures on our TV screens have stained our honor.” He says those pictures do not reflect the nature of the men and women who’ve been sent overseas. Bush says American soldiers are “decent, compassionate, honorable, sacrificing citizens.” It’s been a quarter of a century since a sitting president has visited Dubuque, a heavily democratic area of the state. The area is also heavily Catholic, and Bush made a direct “pro-life” appeal during his speech.Bush says he stands “for the culture of life in which every person counts and every person matters.” Bush also expressed opposition to cloning or creating new life as a commodity for stem-cell research. Bush has allowed stem cell research, but only on existing lines of cells, forbidding creation of new cells for research.