Bush to shift his focus from Iraq to the economy

WASHINGTON -- President Bush and congressional Democrats shifted the political debate from Iraq and toward the sluggish economy Saturday ahead of the crucial Nov. 5 elections, responding to pocketbook issues that voters say are their chief worry.

Bush cited the bipartisan cooperation seen in the Iraqi debate as he urged passage of a terrorism insurance plan that he said would get 300,000 construction workers back to work. Democrats pressed a fix to the shaky economy and an extension of unemployment benefits, telling the president that those out of work "need your leadership more than ever."

Bush used his weekly radio address to challenge Democrats' election-season charges that he has neglected the economy.

"Confronting Iraq is an urgent matter of national security. America's economic security, especially the creation of good jobs, is also an urgent matter requiring presidential and congressional action," Bush said.

Lawmakers last week approved a resolution giving the president broad power to use military force against Iraq if he finds it necessary.

A new Pew Research Center poll said voters, by a 2-to-1 margin, believe Bush could be doing more to help the economy, and they want candidates to talk more about their domestic worries than national security issues abroad.

"The economy is a huge concern for American voters, and Bush can't afford to concede that debate to his opponents," said political scientist Merle Black of Emory University in Atlanta.

"Now, with the votes in the House and Senate, the Iraq issue has much less priority for the Bush administration," Black said Saturday. "They certainly need to get their interpretation of what's wrong with the economy out there."

In the poll, people strongly approved, by 71 percent to 22 percent, Bush's handling of the campaign against terror and said they favor Republicans over Democrats, 46 percent to 30 percent, to make wise decisions on Iraq. But they also said, by a 41 percent to 37 percent margin, that they trust Democrats more than Republicans to handle economic problems.

Bush affirmed in his radio address his concern for out-of-work Americans and urged Congress to approve his plan for laid-off construction workers by guaranteeing terrorism insurance for building projects that have been put on hold.

The Republican-controlled House is expected to consider this week modest economic help for investors and the unemployed.

Democrats continued pressure to make the economy the dominant issue in the midterm elections, now less than four weeks away. They used their own weekly radio message to press Congress to extend unemployment benefits before leaving town to campaign.

"We cannot turn a blind eye to the hardships of jobless men and women, those suffering most in this economy -- hurting, helpless, heartbroken," Sen. Jean Carnahan of Missouri said.

At the same time, she said, "Restoring confidence in our markets and increasing corporate accountability is necessary to bring our economy back to health."

Senate Democrats, clinging to a majority of 50 to 49, with one Democratic-leaning independent, have tried unsuccessfully to push through a 13-week extension of benefits for 2 million people expected to exhaust them shortly after Christmas. House Republicans, hoping to retain a majority, are countering with a more limited extension, coupled with a package of investor tax cuts.

Carnahan, facing a tough re-election campaign against former Republican Rep. Jim Talent, said the focus on possible war with Iraq and the anti-terrorism campaign should not diminish government's response to the weak economy.

Both Carnahan and Bush offered the bipartisan debate on Iraq as proof the two parties can work together and should do so on the economy, as well.

In particular, Bush appealed to the Senate to "again put politics aside and take one last step to reach a final agreement on terrorism insurance," the major economic remedy that the White House has on the table in these waning days of the congressional session.

The Republican-controlled House is expected to consider this week modest economic help for investors and the unemployed.