Editorial: President honors GV woman, raises money for Bee

President Bush was scheduled to spend Thursday night in Southern Arizona and attend a breakfast fundraiser this morning for State Sen. Tim Bee, R-Corona de Tucson.

Before he leaves, the president will honor Green Valley’s Mary Frances Ward for her volunteer efforts with schoolchildren and her commitment to the Valley Presbyterian Church community.

We congratulate Ward for being chosen to receive the President’s Volunteer Service Award. And we thank the president for honoring Ward, a passionate 63-year-old former school teacher who moved to Green Valley from Portland, Maine.

By spending the night in Tucson, Bush becomes the first president in more than 50 years to stay here. President Dwight W. Eisenhower spent the night in the barracks at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in 1957.

Other presidents have visited Southern Arizona, including Bush in 2003 and 2005, and Bill Clinton in 1999, but they came and left without sleeping over.

The president’s visit increases interest in Bee’s campaign to unseat incumbent U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz. Bush’s decision to raise money for Bee has raised an interesting question — will his endorsement help or hurt the candidate?

Bush and his policies have been unpopular in his second term. His approval rating was at 28 percent, according to an Associated Press-Ipsos poll.

Hundreds of Democrats are planning to protest Bush’s visit, and Bee has not talked publicly about his agreements and disagreements with the president.

In the final analysis, if we were Bee and his supporters, we would view the visit as an honor of a lifetime. If the most-powerful leader in the world—the sitting American president—visits your hometown to support your candidacy, he thinks you have a chance to win. If 250 people attend the $1,000-per-plate breakfast, he has poured $250,000 into your campaign coffers.

The Giffords-Bee race will be watched nationally. Few Republicans outside Florida have a legitimate shot of ousting Democratic incumbents. It will be tough for Bee to buck the national trend against Republicans in favor of Democrats, but at least he will have the money to compete.

Nearly 90 percent of Green Valley’s 17,902 registered voters turned out in 2006 to help elect Giffords. If Bee stands a chance of winning, he needs to spell out clearly with how he differs with Giffords—and Bush —on the issues. The voters will make their choice between two talented politicians from there.

Unsigned editorials represent the view of this newspaper. Respond with a Letter to the Editor by e-mailing letters@gvnews.com.