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'Bush Legacy Tour' stops in St. Joseph
by Ken Newton
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Patrick Wilson of St. Joseph heads to the entrance of the Bush Legacy Tour bus in Downtown St. Joseph Wednesday afternoon. The 45-foot-long bus is a museum that is being led by Americans United for Change.

Photo by Todd Weddle / St. Joseph News-Press / Purchase this photo

Patrick Wilson of St. Joseph heads to the entrance of the Bush Legacy Tour bus in Downtown St. Joseph Wednesday afternoon. The 45-foot-long bus is a museum that is being led by Americans United for Change.

Sandy Vandever took in the exhibits but left the partisanship to others. This rolling museum came stocked with an ample supply of politics.

Though the St. Joseph woman knew many of the facts on the wall, and even the floor, of the Bush Legacy Tour bus, she left impressed Wednesday after seeing them compiled in such tight quarters.

“I just wanted to see it,” she said. “It’s part of our history.”

The “Bush Legacy” name, printed on the side of the 45-foot bus with a picture of the current president, had an intent confusing to some. It does not promote a future museum.

In fact, the legacy at issue proves one of a mishandled war, a sinking economy and record gas prices, said Americans United for Change, a Washington-based group sponsoring the national tour.

The bus also took aim at 6th District Congressman Sam Graves, who the sponsors said voted for Mr. Bush’s programs 77 percent of the time during the Tarkio Republican’s legislative tenure.

“It’s not just about (Mr. Bush’s) legacy but also who helped him along the way,” said Julie Blust, the tour’s press secretary. “He wasn’t able to do it on his own. He had their help.”

The bus parked near the corner of Eighth and Edmond streets, outside the St. Joseph building where Mr. Graves has a district office.

Ms. Blust said the bus has visited 42 states since beginning its tour on June 24. While the bus has made stops in districts represented by Democrats in the U.S. House, she could name no Democrats targeted by the tour.

The inside of the bus contained a timeline underfoot and walls filled with data about the Bush administration’s handling of the environment, education, health care and Hurricane Katrina.

Among the exhibits was a gas pump with a computer in its midsection, for tallying the difference in fuel prices from 2000 to present, and a glass bulb on top with the words “Bush & Cheney Oil.”

In a touch screen display under a sign reading “Those Who Marched Us to War,” a readout showed the Iraq conflict costing Missouri taxpayers $5.26 billion.

The Graves campaign had no comment about the bus tour, which scheduled a stop in Springfield, Mo., today.

A Buchanan County Republican, Matt Gerstner, dismissed the traveling museum as “a poor gimmick” that distracted voters from real issues.

“People are looking for solutions on how best to move this country forward,” he said.

Ken Newton can be reached

at kenn@npgco.com.

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joetowner September 11, 2008 at 8:56 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Wow, they are attacking Graves for voting with Bush 77% of the time? Give me a break, all that does is exemplify the fact that Graves is a voice for the district, not for the party. So is Kay Barnes lieing in her commercials when she says Graves voted with Bush over 90% of the time? And for that matter, I can already tell if where's Waldo-Kronkite-Barnes would be voting lock-step with Pelosi to shove their liberal agenda down our throats. That's be a nivce payback for those elaborate fundraisers thye have been having out in San Francisco and Aspen for her.

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joetowner September 11, 2008 at 9:24 a.m. (Suggest removal)

except for 1/4 of the time :rolleyes:

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Wright_Winger September 11, 2008 at 10:14 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Obama could use it as a place to rehearse his pig jokes. I thought Muslims had to stay away from pork.

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gopguy September 11, 2008 at 10:52 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I don't think it is offensive to call someone Muslim. The fact the you do ninja_man means you obviously see something wrong with that faith. And that, my friend, is racist.

In an interview with ABC this past Sunday, Obama said, '....my Muslim faith.'

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Wright_Winger September 11, 2008 at 10:54 a.m. (Suggest removal)

McCain's reference was to Hill's FAILED health care plan, not to Hillary herself. There is a difference, but it is probably way over your head to see it.

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Wright_Winger September 11, 2008 at 11:11 a.m. (Suggest removal)

You should try it sometime; it is a lot more rewarding than your pitiful little universe of hatred.

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joetowner September 11, 2008 at 11:26 a.m. (Suggest removal)

hey ninja_man, are these your buddies:

http://cbs11tv.com/slideshows/rnc.protester.mugshots.20.809519.html?rid=0

From your handle, I assume that you are fast and elusive, probably avoiding those coppers that were trying to drag you down as you were making a fool of yourself at the RNC last week...

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Wright_Winger September 11, 2008 at 11:27 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Dos Equis to show I am not racist.

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jeffandlora September 11, 2008 at 1:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I got this off a blog I read and had a good laugh. No matter which side of the fence you're on, you should too. Its Ireland's take on our election. Enjoy.

We, in Ireland, can't figure out why you people are even bothering to hold an election in the United States ....On one side, you had a pants wearing female lawyer, married to another lawyer who can't seem to keep his pants on, who just lost a long and heated primary against a lawyer, who goes to the wrong church, who is married to yet another lawyer, who doesn't even like the country her husband wants to run! Now...On the other side, you have a nice old war hero whose name starts with the appropriate 'Mc' terminology, married to a good looking younger woman who owns a beer distributorship! What in God's name are ye lads thinkin' over in the colonies!?!

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Wright_Winger September 11, 2008 at 2:28 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Jeffandlora---Don't feel too bad about that post. At least you didn't get called a racist, a misogynist, a bigot, a homophobe or the other words in their limited vocabulary.

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Wright_Winger September 11, 2008 at 2:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)

That might explain part of it, but I really think you were probably just in the birth canal a little too long.

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KAS September 11, 2008 at 7:13 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Gopguy-- I agree that Obama mispoke the other day but I really don't think you wanted to open that can of worms, did you? He mispoke-- I would rather hear someone mispeak (h*ll, I have been known to do it!) that to have someone stand at the RNC and deliberately tell 'mistruths'.

*Thanks but no thanks (yeah, thanks to the money but no thanks, I won't be returning it--She was a strong supporter of the Bridge to Nowhere until it fell apart)

*Obama will ncrease the tax burden to the American people by hundreds of millions of dollars (Actually, over 80% will get a tax CUT-only those at the top will see an increase)

*I fought to bring about the largest private-sector infrastructure project in North American history. And when that deal was struck, we began a nearly $40 billion natural gas pipeline to help lead America to energy independence. (It is NOT a done deal and the pipeline hasn't even been started)

*But listening to him speak, it’s easy to forget that this is a man who has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or even a reform, not even in the state Senate. (She really needs to check into this further-- Heck, he did more to clean up Illinois politics than anyone in the last 50 years! Unless she has a different idea of what reform is)

I could go on and on but I am sure you get the idea.

Hey ninja guy-- maybe that is the problem with some of these uptight reich wingers-- they DIDN'T smoke enough weed in their younger days ;)

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Rockchalk September 11, 2008 at 8:29 p.m. (Suggest removal)

It took me a while, but i found a clip that showed more of the exchange that led up to the "my Muslim faith" comment. I didn't actually see it as a slip of the tongue. I think that Stephanopoulos jumped in before Obama could finish his thought and that caused the problem.

The question was regarding "outsiders", e.g. bloggers and others around the campaigns making comments that become attributed to the candidates. For example, the McCain people were griping about Obama supporters making comments about Palin's daughter being pregnant. Obama said that as soon as he heard the comments, he said family should be off limits. Obama contrasted that with comments from the right alleging he was a Muslim and McCain's failure to try to rein that in. Stephanopoulos then said that McCain has not commented on Obama's religion. Obama agreed, saying McCain has not talked about "my Muslim faith"--meaning McCain never alleged he was a Muslim. I don't see anything wrong with the comment at all.

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KAS September 11, 2008 at 10:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)

It took me awhile to find it too. I had only seen the clips... I agree, it wasn't a slip of the tongue. It was taken out of context-- and definitely blown out of proportion.

I wonder why so many have tried to focus on the fact that he attended a muslim school for 2 years when he was a child, yet the fact that he also attended a Catholic school for 2 years is rarely brought up?

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gopguy September 12, 2008 at 8:41 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Aahhh, yes KAS, smoking weed like you definitely would have made me smarter than you. Grow up and get a clue.

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Wright_Winger September 12, 2008 at 9:28 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Now we have nazi added to the list (see above). Let me suggest xenophobe, jingoist and asthmatic for your future use; might as well have more variety to your rants.

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Wright_Winger September 12, 2008 at 10:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)

That's a little limp, like everything else about you.

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Wright_Winger September 12, 2008 at 10:49 a.m. (Suggest removal)

You were the one that called me "an angry little man" just when I thought we were starting to bond. I simply can't see how we can get our relationship started again; maybe ninja can counsel us.

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Wright_Winger September 12, 2008 at 12:35 p.m. (Suggest removal)

How sad! At my (advanced) age it will be difficult to find a desirable new companion. All you have to do, Jacko, is change hands again. Oh well, with your failing eyesight it is just as well. Had it not been for your discounts at the optical store we would have gone broke before now.

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dalearch September 12, 2008 at 2:06 p.m. (Suggest removal)

KAS:

You asked “yet the fact that he also attended a Catholic school for 2 years is rarely brought up?”

I don’t recall us being at war with any Catholics. (?)

Also, why is it that you lefties have no problem spouting about the rights we’ve lost – until someone asks you to be specific and name just one?

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KAS September 12, 2008 at 11:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Dale--
I about fell off my chair when I read what you wrote. You have got to be joking-- or naive-- to believe that. You truly think this war is a religious war? So the only reason we attacked in Iraq is because they are Muslim? So our whole purpose is to convert the Iraqis to Christianity, or Catholicism, or Judaism, or any other religion besides being Muslim? This war is not a Jihad.

What a sad, sad man you are.

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dalearch September 13, 2008 at 7:05 a.m. (Suggest removal)

KAS:

I think you must have fallen off your chair and hit you head a little too hard. That’s the only explanation I can see that would make you interpret my post like that. But then again, you are a liberal, and liberals tend to have a hard time thinking for themselves.

Now that your head has had a chance to clear a little, do you suppose I could have meant something like; the reason his opponents focus on the “Muslim years” is so that people will link him to the people we are at war with?

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KAS September 14, 2008 at 2:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Let me get this clear... you are an avowed conservative. You are against Obama. You could be considered an "opponent" of Obama, right?

Well, does that mean you 'focus' on his "Muslim years" to try to link him to the "people we are at war with"? So you want to keep reminding people that he went to a Muslim school so they will think he is part of Al Qaeda?

By your way of thinking, it appears you must feel McCain is incapable of carrying the campaign on his own merits so you have to try to cut down the other candidate by implying FALSELY that he associates with the 'people we are at war with"? Why don't you just quit supporting McCain? It seems like that would be the easiest solution.

I think I was the right the first time when I said you are a sad, sad man.

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dalearch September 14, 2008 at 7:38 p.m. (Suggest removal)

The only thing that makes me sad is the fact that you are too stupid to understand what I am saying, and trying to put words in my mouth.

All I did was answer your question of why people don’t focus on his Catholic school years, and you have it turned into me focusing on his Muslim years. I've never said anything about him being a Muslim.

You are a stupid, stupid person.

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ibham2 September 14, 2008 at 10:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Ohhhhh Frank.......can you come out and play?

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KAS September 15, 2008 at 2:02 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Dale-

You are a freakin' idiot who talks out of both sides of his mouth. In one breath, you want to put Obama down (which is your right) but when you get called on the non-truths you want to impress on others, you get defensive.

Go back and read my post. I stated the hypothetical situation...

If you can't run with the big dogs, go sit your butt on the porch.

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dalearch September 15, 2008 at 7:18 a.m. (Suggest removal)

KAS:

I went back and read your post. Everything was directed at "you" and "your" - meaning me - and you end with saying again that I am a "sad, sad man".

I'm supposed to see this as a hypothetical situation how?

I think your IQ must be about equal to your hat size. 7 1/4.

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gopguy September 15, 2008 at 11:25 a.m. (Suggest removal)

More people have commented on this bus than actually went to see it.

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gopguy September 15, 2008 at 12:41 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Don't you read the paper grimjack

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