Bush uses fundraiser to stress war on terror

MISHAWAKA, Ind. -- President Bush turned to the war against terror in campaigning on Thursday for a Northern Indiana lawmaker seen as potentially vulnerable in this fall's elections.

The president condemned those responsible for bombing a Shiite shrine in Iraq this week.
"Whoever did this is trying to stop the advance of freedom," Bush said during his appearance on the campus of Bethel College. "The U.S. strongly condemns the person responsible. This is not a religious person, but an evil person."
He also praised religious leaders in Iraq who are calling for calm in the wake of rioting in the streets, which led to dozens of deaths Thursday.
Bush's 33-minute appearance drew more than 500 supporters who paid $500 per plate. He was at a campaign fundraiser for U.S. Rep. Chris Chocola, R-Bristol.
The president said news out of Iraq that the gleaming dome of the 1,200-year-old Askariya shrine had been reduced to rubble served as a reminder that there is much work to do on the other side of the globe.
Inside the Wiekamp Athletic Center, few disagreed.
"The president was very clear on his decision-making process and I don't think the party has done a good job of explaining that," said Charles Hasnerl, 36, a financial planner from Knox. "I have full faith and confidence in our military, our president and Congressman Chocola."
Outside, there a different opinion could be seen and heard from dozens of protesters who braved a crisp, windy day to carry signs along the street where Bush's caravan entered the campus.
"My main concern is our commitment to the foolish endeavor in Iraq," said Marshall D'Arcy, 62, Ogden Dunes, who said he was a Vietnam veteran. "This war is just as stupid and ignorant as that one was."
Bush began his remarks by endorsing Chocola for another term in Congress, calling him a "decent, down-to-earth" person who is a "rising star in the House."
He then touted their common support for the war on terror and agreement on domestic issues like giving federal dollars to religious groups that provide social services.
Chocola is not believed to be in serious jeopardy of losing a re-election bid but his district is evenly matched between Democrats and Republicans.
The president spent most of his speech talking about the war on terror, noting again that the events of Sept. 11, 2001, changed the way he views the world.
Alternative energy was also on his mind. Bush repeated his support of developing ways to wean America off foreign oil.
"I want us to develop new batteries so you can plug in your car at night and drive 40 minutes on electricity and not use a drop of gas," Bush said. He also said he supports the continued research and development of ethanol, a corn-based gas alternative -- and a subject dear to the hearts of many corn farmers in Northern Indiana.
At the corner of Liberty Drive and La Salle Avenue, where only students were allowed to protest, Bethel freshman Ryan DeLine, 24, Mishawaka, was the lone holder of a placard that read: "$500 could feed a family for two weeks."
DeLine, whose fingers were red from the cold, had been standing on the corner for nearly two hours. Not to protest Bush, he said, but to expose the folly of paying $500 for a plate of chicken when so many families -- particularly in New Orleans, where he has traveled twice on mission trips -- are in need.