Frist steps back from Bush

By Chris Kromm / February 13, 2006

Conservative columnist Robert Novak notes that Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) seems to be distancing himself from the president in preparation for Frist's 2008 bid for the White House:

On NBC's "Meet the Press" Jan. 29, Frist said, "I would have probably put more troops in [Iraq] if the decision had been up to me." He said the White House is not cooperating with Hurricane Katrina investigations by Congress. As for the Bush budget, he said: "We are spending too much in Washington, D.C." He suggested his and the White House's position in the Terri Schiavo case was wrong. On NBC's "Today" program the next day, when asked about the administration's National Guard policy, Frist replied: "I am opposed to cutting the Guard myself."

As Novak notes, "Frist would not be in the post if Bush had not withdrawn support from Sen. Trent Lott as majority leader after the 2002 elections."

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