Pickup, Please: On Kerry, Bush, Intelligence Spending & Appropriations Bills.

Here's the AP report detailing the first major slug of the real campaign that I know of: Bush blasts Kerry over 1995 intelligence proposal

"Bush, during a fund-raiser in Dallas, called attention to a 1995 bill that Kerry sponsored to trim intelligence spending by $1.5 billion over five years.

. . .

Kerry spokesman Chad Clanton said the senator's bill was about opposing "business as usual in our intelligence community" and that he has supported $200 billion in intelligence funding over the past seven years -- a 50 percent increase since 1996. "


Okay, a straight AP story. He said, she said. I want the pick up, and I hope I get it soon. Let me know if you spot it.

What 40 programs were being cut in this massive spending cut bill? Why did no one else cosponsor it? Was it because they really didn't agree or because he immediately abandoned it for a similar bill that was more viable? Were similar bills introduced by anyone else in 1995? Between 1995 & 2001? How were the $200B in increased intelligence funds Clanton alludes to allocated? How does Kerry's votes on those funds compares to other Senators, on either side of the aisle?
These are questions I would like to know the answers to. If I had time I'd dig for them myself--they should all be a matter of public record.

An interesting anecdote about GWB fundraising buried at the end of the article:

"In between the money events, Bush was to stop by the popular Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo to meet with cowboy champions and peruse the cattle on display. Despite the political benefits of Bush's attendance -- it offered a more colorful photo opportunity than the two fund-raisers and allowed him to appeal to the sport's mostly white male fans -- the White House considered it an official event. That means taxpayers will foot the bill for at least part of the trip. "