Article published April 25, 2003
AMERICA AT WAR
Bush hails tank plant; Lima workers credited for `vital contribution'
President Bush greets some of the crowd of 3,000 as he moves past an Abrams tank.
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By FRITZ WENZEL and JAMES DREW
BLADE STAFF WRITERS
LIMA, Ohio - President Bush praised workers at the Lima Army Tank Plant during a visit here yesterday, calling their labor to build the Abrams tanks used in the war against Iraq a "vital contribution" for peace and freedom in the Middle East.
The visit was the ninth trip to Ohio for Mr. Bush since he took office and the second recent trip to factories that make the tools of war. Last week, Mr. Bush traveled to St. Louis to thank employees at a Boeing airplane factory that makes fighter jets.
"I have come here to talk about peace and freedom," Mr. Bush said in Lima. "And this is a good place to talk about it. This is a fine place, right here in Ohio ... because, after all, it is in this facility that has provided the American military with the most effective armored vehicle in the history of warfare - the mighty Abrams tank."
The cheers and applause of the 3,000-person crowd reverberated inside the large metal manufacturing building where the tanks are assembled.
Mr. Bush had special praise for Lima tank workers who made modifications that made tanks more secure after the war in Iraq began in March.
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The Abrams tank, which carries a crew of three and weighs 67 tons, played a key role in moving U.S. troops swiftly from Kuwait to Baghdad, capturing cities that had been pummeled by bombs.
Mr. Bush said one of the first decisions in preparing for the war was to deploy 1,200 Abrams to the Persian Gulf region.
"When the war came, in the initial stages of that war, units equipped with Abrams tanks and Bradley fighting vehicles led the charge," Mr. Bush said.
He heaped an extra helping of praise on those at the plant who helped out with an emergency modification to the Abrams tank that military leaders discovered they needed only after the shooting had started in Iraq.
"During the fighting in Iraq, tank commanders sent word that they needed better ways to protect the Abrams exhaust systems from enemy fire," the President explained.
Mr. Bush spends a moment with Lima tank plant employee Mark Singer, left, his wife Sheri, and their daughter, Jessica. The Singers' son commands an Abrams crew in Iraq.
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"Word came back from Iraq, right here to Lima. And so, engineers and machinists, pipe fitters and welders and packers and transportation specialists of this plant went straight to work. Within a week, you had a new part designed and manufactured and the first kits to deal with that problem shipped to Iraq," he said.
"When our soldiers and Marines needed you most, when the pressure was on, you came through, and America is grateful."
The crowd roared its appreciation.
Mr. Bush singled out welder Mark Singer, of Lima, during his speech, saying he "had an especially strong interest" in protecting the exhaust systems from attack.
"You see, his son, Joshua, is serving in Iraq as an Abrams tank commander," the President said. "Next time, Mark, you communicate with Josh, you tell him the commander in chief came to Lima to say how proud I am of his service, and the others' service to our country."
Marilyn Klaus, a plant employee who helped ship the emergency parts to Iraq, said it was gratifying Mr. Bush understood "how important a role that we actually played in the war, how important our tanks were to winning the war.
"When we took such fine equipment over there, we were way ahead in the game," she said.
Like Mrs. Klaus, Mr. Singer was seated in a special section near the President, and greeted him after the speech.
Dennis Crandell, a command sergeant major from the Warren Tank and Automotive Armor Command in suburban Detroit, said the President's speech was important because it "let everyone realize that the equipment everyone is getting over there is first class."
A 29-year veteran of the Army, he called the speech "inspiring."
Earlier yesterday, President Bush pitched his package of tax cut proposals to help stimulate a sluggish domestic economy during a stop in Canton.
The U.S. Senate is deadlocked on the size of the tax cut package and is due to resume deliberations on the matter when members return from Easter break next week.
Mr. Bush said that he shares concerns about the growing federal budget deficit, but he said the red ink has been created by the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and corporate scandals that shook confidence among investors.
Urging Congress to take swift action, Mr. Bush touted his proposals to abolish personal income taxes on dividends, and speed up child tax credits and "marriage penalty relief. "
U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich, an Ohio Democrat who is seeking his party's nomination for president, said Mr. Bush's economic policies "have failed Ohio and failed the nation."
"The President's economic record in Ohio, and the nation, is one of high unemployment, factory closings, and corporate bankruptcies. Ohio, and our nation, deserve better. To stimulate our economy takes more than tax cuts to the wealthy. It requires federal spending, progressive tax cuts to people who need the money now, and real efforts to create new high-paying jobs," Mr. Kucinich said.
Rick Holland, a worker at the Timken Co. ball-bearing factory where Mr. Bush spoke yesterday, liked what he heard from the President.
"I'm not an economist, so what the President said sounded good," Mr. Holland said. "I'd really like to hear him debate some of the people who disagree with him."
One person who has disagreed with Mr. Bush about the tax cuts is Republican U.S. Sen. George Voinovich, who was conspicuous by his absence in Canton.
Mr. Voinovich, along with Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine, has balked at supporting tax cuts of more than $350 billion over a decade without more spending cuts.
Both have expressed concern about the ballooning federal deficit.
Gov. Bob Taft and U.S. Sen. Mike DeWine, both Republicans, were at Mr. Bush's side in North Canton, but Mr. Voinovich said a scheduling conflict prevented him from attending.
The senator was in Dayton, meeting with veterans about their health needs.
In his speech to about 800 Timken employees and GOP backers, Mr. Bush didn't refer to Mr. Voinovich, instead using a broad brush to complain about his foes.
"Some in Congress say the plan is too big. It seems like to me they might have some explaining to do. If they agree that tax relief creates jobs, then why are they for a little bitty tax relief package? If they believe tax relief is important for job creation, they ought to join us," Mr. Bush said.
Later, Mr. Bush and Mr. Voinovich spoke briefly at Wright-Patterson Air Force base near Dayton, as the President walked on the tarmac from Air Force One to Marine One, which shuttled Mr. Bush to Lima.
"The senator thanked him for coming to Ohio to talk about the economy and told him it was the right message for Ohio, and the President said `Thanks, I agree, and I want to talk to you about it more,'" said Scott Milburn, Mr. Voinovich's press secretary.
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