Washington Post | By Mike Allen | December 29, 2003
CRAWFORD, Tex., Dec. 28 -- President Bush's stewardship of the nation's food supply was attacked Sunday by Democratic presidential candidates who charged that the case of mad cow disease in a Washington state Holstein could have been discovered earlier if the administration had not coddled the livestock industry.
A senior administration official said Bush, who is spending New Year's week at his Texas ranch, plans to endorse new protections for meat eaters very soon. Administration officials said the changes could include banning more cow parts from ground beef. Spinal cord tissue and brains, which are believed to be the main way the disease is transmitted, are banned now. The administration already planned to increase its bovine spongiform encephalopathy surveillance and testing program, which now includes animals older than 30 months and ones showing signs of central nervous system disorders. That may be expanded to more cattle, the officials said.
The issue is potentially problematic for Bush because poll respondents have consistently scored him lower for his handling of domestic issues than in overall approval.
Several Democratic candidates said they plan to make beef safety a major issue as they campaign this week in Iowa, which is the eighth-largest cattle-producing state and where presidential nominating precinct caucuses will be held Jan. 19.
Sen. John F. Kerry (Mass.) issued a five-point plan for responding to the mad cow discovery, including more inspections and federal aid to the beef industry. "The current mad cow investigation underscores the urgent need for a national system to make diseased livestock easier to track and contain," he said. "I urge President Bush for once not to listen to the demands of corporate America and act on behalf of the health and economic needs of all Americans."
Former Vermont governor Howard Dean said in Ames, Iowa, on Sunday that the discovery "raises serious concerns about the ability of this administration to protect the safety of our nation's food supply and the health of our rural economies that depend on agriculture exports."
The White House response to the crisis is being coordinated by Bush's National Economic Council. White House press secretary Scott McClellan responded to the Democrats' criticism by saying, "The American people recognize there is a lot of partisan posturing going on in the Democratic primary right now. The president, on the other hand, is acting to protect public health and acting to make sure our food supply is safe."
On Friday, Dean was first with a statement accusing Bush of lax regulation of ranchers, and most of the other candidates quickly chimed in. Retired Gen. Wesley K. Clark, who plans to discuss the issue during his "True Grits" southern swing on Monday and Tuesday, said in a statement that the administration "needs to do more than 'look' at the system and options. They need to take proactive steps to improve tracking and testing that should have been taken months ago."
Rep. Richard A. Gephardt (Mo.) pointed Saturday to Republican opposition to legislation that would have required meatpackers to put country-of-origin labels on their products. He said the nation needs "a president who is committed to the right of American consumers to know where their meat is coming from and not to the huge special interests that are fighting to keep safety regulations out of our food supply."
Sen. John Edwards (N.C.) plans to offer a comprehensive plan on the issue when he campaigns Tuesday in northeastern Iowa counties, his staff said. Edwards said in a statement that the nation needs far better food protections.
"As the disruption of the last few days demonstrates, better protections will not only save lives; in the end, they will also save money," he said. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (Conn.), who is not competing in Iowa, made no comment about beef safety this weekend.Washington Post:
