Bush Visit Underway In Stockton

President Bush is stumping for embattled GOP candidate Bill Simon today in California. A two-day swing began with an airport handshake for Simon and a fresh scolding for corporate crooks who, in Bush’s words, “fudge the numbers.” The White House insists the president is “proudly” standing with Simon, even though his investment firm was hit with a $78-million fraud verdict last month. The verdict is being appealed. At a welcome rally in Stockton, Bush said his administration’s cracking down hard on corporate wrongdoers. He added that on this issue, Democrats and Republicans have come together. A Democratic spokeswoman in Washington accuses Bush of “hypocrisy” in campaigning for Simon, who’s trying to unseat Democratic governor Gray Davis. The schedule of Bush’s California fund-raisers will limit his public appearances with Simon.