Bush challenges Democrats to come up with an Iraq plan

President Bush challenged Democrats Friday to offer their plan for winning in Iraq as he swept across Republican strongholds in the US heartland to try to help his party8217;s candidates survive on Election Day.
Encouraging audience participation from thousands of Republican loyalists at a rally, Bush said Democrats should be asked, 8220;What8217;s your plan?8221; for winning in Iraq and a host of other national security issues separating the parties.
8220;What8217;s your plan?8221; the audience yelled back.
8220;Truth is the Democrats can8217;t answer that question,8221; he said. 8220;Harsh criticism is not a plan for victory.8221;
Democrats seeking to recapture Congress have sought to cast Tuesday8217;s elections as a referendum on Bush8217;s handling of the Iraq war, where another five American troops were reported killed.
Defending the Iraq war is a central theme for Bush on a final pre-election blitz in 10 states. Reflective of the difficult political landscape for Republicans, they were all states Bush won in 2004: Montana, Nevada, Missouri, Iowa, Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, Arkansas, Florida and Texas.
His strategy is to appear in Republican strongholds, try to encourage as big a turnout as possible and hope that concern about Iraq and various Republican scandals do not depress the number of loyalists who turn out.
Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean said it won8217;t work. 8220;President Bush8217;s failed, 8216;stay the course8217; rhetoric is not only bad for America but has been a drag on Republicans on the ballot who have rubber-stamped the White House8217;s failed agenda,8221; Dean said in a party release.
Bush also crowed about a Labor Department report showing the U.S. unemployment rate dropped in October to 4.4 percent from 4.6 percent, its lowest in 5 1/2 years. He called it proof that tax cuts he engineered are working, a claim disputed by Democrats who say the cuts have increased the US budget deficit.
Bush said Democratic claims that the tax cuts would hurt the economy were wrong.
8220;Well, if their election forecasts are as good as their economic forecasts, we8217;re going to have a great day on November 7,8221; he said to cheers.
Bush said Democrats are taking a 8220;calculated gamble8221; by attacking him on Iraq without offering their own plan for what they would do if they win control of either the House or the Senate or both.
8220;They believe the only way they can win this election is to criticize us and offer no specific plan of their own,8221; Bush said.
He said Democrats still have four more days to do so and urged Republicans to ask them to.
8211;Steve Holland