BUSH MEETS WITH LIMBAUGHS: GOP PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE IN CITY

Summary:

The Texas governor will be at the Southeast Missouri Regional Port at 10 a.m. today

Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush flew into Cape Girardeau Wednesday night and met privately with conservative talk-show host Rush Limbaugh; Limbaugh's mother, Millie; and brother, David Limbaugh.

The private meeting was held at Millie Limbaugh's home on Jonquil Lane.

State Sen. Peter Kinder, R-Cape Girardeau, also attended the meeting, which Kinder helped set up.

Rush Limbaugh grew up in Cape Girardeau. David Limbaugh is a Cape Girardeau lawyer and syndicated newspaper columnist.

Bush arrived at the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport around 9:15 p.m.

Bush, the 53-year-old son of former President George Bush, spent the night at the Drury Suites hotel where the Bush entourage was booked into about 20 of the hotel's 87 rooms.

Bush is considered the Republican front-runner for the presidential nomination.

Bush's visit marks the first overnight stay in Cape Girardeau by a national political leader since former President Gerald Ford stayed at the Cape Girardeau Holiday Inn on Sept. 15, 1980. Ford spoke at a fund-raising breakfast the next morning for the late Bill Emerson when he first ran for Congress.

Bush is scheduled to visit Riverport Terminals grain-bagging plant at the Southeast Missouri Regional Port near Scott City at 10 a.m. today. He also will meet with farmers.

The event will be Bush's first public appearance in Missouri since he formerly announced he was running for president.

Bush was last in Missouri on June 11 when he raised about $800,000 at a private fund raiser in west St. Louis County.

Following the event at the port, Bush is scheduled to attend a $1,000-a-couple fund raiser at the home of eye surgeon Dr. Charles Cozean in Cape Girardeau.

Republican Party workers and Bush's campaign advance team spent Wednesday preparing for the Texas governor's visit.

At U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson's campaign office on Broadway, about 15 volunteers spent part of the afternoon drawing about 30 magic-marker welcome posters for Bush's port visit. Emerson campaign manager Atalie Ebersole fielded telephone calls and helped coordinate last-minute preparations.,

Leslie Herbst, who has been involved in GOP campaigns, drew a sign that read, "G.W. Bush is the right pick for our farmers." Herbst's husband, David, operates a row-crop farm near Chaffee.

Herbst said farmers need Bush as president. "He pushes agriculture, and it is a hot issue right now," said Herbst.

The nation's farm economy is in desperate shape, she said.

Herbst said Bush has a solid heritage with farmers. "George Bush's father was an excellent farm president," she said.

Kim Adams of Cape Girardeau did an internship with a political consulting firm this summer. She volunteered to help draw the posters. One of her posters featured a stylized American flag with 16 stars instead of the real flag's 50.

"It's a little bit short on stars," she acknowledged.

Adams' father farms. Her grandfather owned a big farm in Gordonville.

While Adams sat at a table drawing posters, Steve Cowen created his posters while seated on the floor. Cowen chairs the College Republicans club at Southeast Missouri State University.

Cowen said about 15 to 20 College Republicans from Southeast, the University of Missouri-Columbia and St. Louis University are expected to be on hand to cheer Bush.

"Everyone is real excited about Bush," the 19-year-old sophomore said.

Cowen, who is from Boonville, has been interested in Republican politics since he was 12. "I'm not the best artist," he confessed. But that didn't dampen his enthusiasm.

Political posters, he said, are grassroots politics in its purest form.

Staff at the Drury Suites readied a suite for Bush.

"Everybody has a little extra excitement," said hotel manager Rob Pici. "We are very excited to have him with us."

Some of the security personnel and other members of Bush's advance party have been staying at the hotel since Sunday.

Pici said the security detail includes Texas Rangers.

The advance team has been low key. "They have been very helpful," said Pici.

He said the hotel has continued to operate in normal fashion.

"We haven't done anything different. We like to think we run a nice hotel," said Pici.

All the hotel's rooms were filled Wednesday night. Pici said that isn't unusual. "Tuesday and Wednesday typically are our best nights."

Pici said Bush hasn't asked for star treatment. The hotel doesn't have a presidential suite.

Bush asked for today's edition of the New York Times and the Southeast Missourian. Pici said Bush wanted the newspapers at his door by 5:45 a.m.

On Wednesday, Pici was still searching for a way to get the New York Times delivered to Bush. "We are trying to track one down for him."