http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/15476318.htm

Bush zips in for feel-good visit

By DAVE HELLING, STEVE KRASKE, and SCOTT CANON

Sep. 09, 2006

In between, hands were shaken, politics were discussed, large checks were discreetly handled.

On Ward Parkway, protesters protested. Across the street, reporters and photographers cooled their heels in a mansion under rehab.

But it’s always news when the POTUS rolls into town.

Did he make a speech?

Nothing for the public, nor any impromptu news conferences. He didn’t stop at a barbecue pit, either. (He never does. What’s up with that, anyway?) So no national ripples; don’t go surfing CNN or FOX.

Of course, it was pretty exciting if you were one of the 450 folks who were shuttled to the Scott Ward home at 1217 W. 55th St. and got to grip and grin with the big dog, the leader of the free world.

Or you were Bradley Fisher and Taylor Mayes, both 17-year-old seniors at Smithville High School, who were presented Volunteer Service Awards at KCI for their work to prevent teen substance abuse.

Or you were U.S. Sen. Jim Talent, who collected perhaps $600,000 for his re-election bid.

So everyone had “a really cool experience,” as Fisher reported ?

Maybe not those folks who hadn’t counted on a presidential motorcade complicating Friday-night rush hour between the Country Club Plaza and the airport.

The president’s had a pretty big week. He moved some Sept. 11 plotters to Guantanamo, near the five-year anniversary of the attacks; he pushed Congress to write new legal rules for the war on terror; he wants to speak to the nation Monday; and his poll numbers have bounced back a bit. Did he discuss any of this?

Yes. People who attended said Bush spoke about 45 minutes, mixing politics with policy, although he did not take questions. He told the gathering that Talent and Republican Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas, who also was there, would provide the help he needs to pass legislation expanding his authority to prosecute the war on terror.

Former U.S. Rep. Wendell Bailey said Bush talked about his “commitment to the presidency rather than being the president. He’s just hard to beat in that venue.”

Who is Scott Ward, the host of the fundraiser?

He’s the co-president of Russell Stover Candies. He and other members of the Ward family are longtime contributors to the Republican Party and Republican causes: Since 1998, he’s given more than $57,000 to Republican candidates and committees, according to a campaign cash Web site.

Why was the fundraiser closed to the media?

Critics have said Talent held it in a private home to avoid news coverage — particularly photographs and video — of him standing next to Bush. For the record: Many high-level fundraisers are off-limits to reporters. But this year, the Democrats are flogging the issue because of the poor polling of the president and his party. Some note that Talent’s yard signs neglect to mention his party.

What does Talent say to this?

“Now, this is the third time he’s come in to campaign for me. That’s a strange way to distance myself from him,” Talent said at news conference before the event. “People have plenty of film of us together if that’s what they want to use.”

Asked why reporters were not allowed in to see them together, Talent said: “That was a decision the White House made.”

Does the Republican Party or Talent’s campaign pay for this political jaunt?

Bush is doing a lot of flying and fundraising, trying to keep the GOP in control of the Congress. And you’re helping the president elect Republicans, just as you helped his predecessor elect Democrats.

The Federal Election Commission requires Talent’s campaign to pay only the equivalent of a first-class air ticket for all political travelers on Air Force One. So Talent’s few thousand dollars won’t begin to cover the cost of bringing in that Boeing 747, Secret Service agents, nonpolitical staff and two limos.

As usual, Kansas City police officers provided security “as part of their normal workday,” said spokesman Rich Lockhart. “There will be no additional overtime costs.”

What did guests get for their $1,000?

“Finger food and beverages,” reported Rich Chrismer, Talent’s spokesman. “It’s a reception.”

Any Russell Stover candy put out?

Of course.

But, proving that revenge in politics is, well, sweet, contributors to a Web site called buyblue.org suggest “progressives” should stop buying Russell Stover chocolates.

Surely not those pecan turtles?

Apparently.

Who wrote the checks?

We won’t know for sure until campaign fundraising disclosures are filed Oct. 15.

So Talent sees dollar signs when Bush shows up?

Better believe it. In late June, Bush went to a $2,000-a-head event in St. Louis, raising an estimated $750,000. The topper, however, was a similar event in 2005 that brought in more than $1 million — a state record — for Talent.

The overall fundraising scorecard? Through the end of June, Talent has raised $9,935,711; Claire McCaskill, $4,572,707, according to the Federal Election Commission.

Will McCaskill get any high-powered fundraising help for herself?

Yes. Former President Bill Clinton will appear today in St. Louis, where he’s expected to help gather $1 million for McCaskill.

So what’s the Democrats’ line?

Jack Cardetti, Missouri party spokesman: “With each million-dollar fundraiser, Jim Talent grows more indebted to President Bush and less likely to stand up to the president.”

How many protesters showed up?

About 400, assembling on the Ward Parkway median.

How many Republicans does it take to rile up the Bush protesters?

Just one, but about 20 showed up, mostly waving Talent placards. One had a “Students 4 Bush” sign. Most appeared to be in their 20s. Clearly the most senior was 81-year-old W.C. Wissmueller of Kansas City. He waved a sizable American flag and at one point poked his staff at a bullhorn being used to lead the protesters in a chant. Cooler heads prevailed.

“I wanted to make sure somebody was here to support the president,” Wissmueller said. “These people (the Bush protesters) are crazy.”

What did some of those protesters’ signs say?

“Emperor Bush, stop fiddling. Iraq burns”; “Mission accomplished? Where’s Osama?” “Missouri needs a raise”; “Liar, liar, world on fire.”

So the Iraq war was a major theme here, as it is in the national campaign?

Just ask Patrick Farnan of Weston. He was protesting with his wife, Deann. They lost their only son, Colby, to an improvised bomb near Taji, Iraq, on Feb. 25, 2005. The 22-year-old Army specialist is one of dozens of casualties from Missouri.

“It’s 54. You’ve got to know that stuff. We all need to know that stuff,” Patrick said.

They think their son died in an unnecessary war and came to Ward Parkway, they said, to hold the president accountable. “My son thought the war was all about oil,” Deann Farnan said, “and I’m not sure he wasn’t right.”

Did Bush get to see the protesters?

For a couple of seconds, as his limo made the corner onto the parkway.