Bush Plays Politics With Our Kids

The battle over the State Children's Health Insurance Program is heating up. This week, Congress is set to pass legislation to cover millions more kids [1]. President Bush plans to veto the bill.

There is bipartisan support for expansion in both houses, but at the moment, we can only be sure of a veto-proof margin in the Senate. [2]

President Bush led his Thursday press conference [3] and Saturday radio address [4] with misinformation about the bill, in an attempt to give political cover to House members who may risk their seats to sustain a veto. Regular reades know this misinformation [5] has been peddled by the White House [6] and others [7] in the conservative movement all summer [8], but the effort has failed to turn the public against the bill [9]. And last week, key Republican [10] senators debunked Bush [11] as well.

The dishonesty of Bush was evident in his radio address, when he said, "The American people expect their elected leaders in Washington to work together by passing responsible bills in a timely manner."

He's about to get a bipartisan bill on his desk in a timely manner. In the face of such unity, Bush will divide. And our kids will pay the price.