Campaigns spar over Canadian buses

[FrogMan]

Campaigns spar over Canadian buses

'Yes, America can,' the 'Real Deal Express' -- not made in the U.S.A.




MAUMEE, Ohio (AP) -- President Bush rode across Ohio on Tuesday in a bus emblazoned, "Yes, America can."

Turns out the bus was made in Canada.

So was the "Real Deal Express" that Democrat John Kerry rode earlier in the year.

Both were made by Prevost Car, which is owned by the Swedish Volvo Bus Corp. and Britain's Henly's Group PLC. Its manufacturing facility is in St. Claire, Quebec.

Bush campaign spokesman Scott Stanzel defended the president's use of a foreign-made bus and said many of the components on the red-white-and-blue coaches, along with their engines and tires, are American-made.

"As President Bush says, 'economic isolationism' would derail our recovery and kill jobs," Stanzel said.

Bush has defended his free-trade policies against Democratic criticism and says those who favor restrictions on imports are "economic isolationists."

Foreign-made vehicles are a touchy topic in the job-strapped industrial Midwest -- states like Michigan and Ohio, which Bush toured on Monday and Tuesday.

"The problem isn't the bus he's riding on. It's the failed economic policies he's driving," said Phil Singer, a Kerry spokesman.

But while Kerry's campaign was all to happy to talk about the Bush bus, it became tightlipped on the subject of Kerry's bus rental. Telephone messages left by The Associated Press seeking comment were not immediately returned.

An itemized disbursement report Kerry's campaign filed with the Federal Election Commission showed a payment of $3,364.20 in February to "Cleve Southeast" of Bedford, Ohio, which leased the bus to the campaign.

A check of the Cleveland Southeastern Trails Web site showed a motorcoach similar in appearance to photographs of one of Kerry's "Real Deal Express" buses. The Web site identified the bus as being made by Prevost.

Bush campaign spokesman Steve Schmidt it was another example of Kerry's waffling.

"The here is once again John Kerry's campaign saying one thing and doing another. They have launched a political attack while they themselves chartered the same exact bus," said campaign spokesman Steve Schmidt. "There is nothing wrong with the bus, but there is something wrong with the Kerry campaign's hypocrisy."

From http://edition.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLIT....ap/index.html

From yesterday's news and not even that big of a news item, but Prevost Car in Ste Claire, Quebec is where I work. Just thought it was interesting that both candidates used one of our coaches at some point

FM