DENVER -- President George W. Bush spoke to an enthusiastic group of supporters in the Denver area Tuesday morning, promoting his health care agenda, praising the military and detailing the difference between him and his opponent, Sen. John Kerry.
A loud, cheering, crowd of 18,000 people filled Coors Amphitheatre, formerly Fiddler's Green, waving signs and flags and chanting, "Four more years," as Bush arrived around 8:45 a.m.
Bush was surrounded by the state's biggest Republican players -- Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell, Republican senate candidate Pete Coors and Gov. Bill Owens. He was introduced by football icon John Elway, who told the cheering crowd that Bush knows how to make the right calls when the pressure's on.
Bush said during his 50-minute talk that the nation has made Medicare stronger and won't turn its back on its senior citizens. He said his healthcare proposals are more practical and involves much less government control than that of his opponent.
He touted Colorado's economy, with a 5.1 percent unemployment rate, as a sign of the country's economic recovery.
"This economy is strong, and we're not turning back," he said to cheers from audience.
The group also loudly applauded Bush's tough talk against terrorists.
"We're staying on the offensive," he said. "We'll strike the terrorists abroad so we will not have to face them at home."
Standing next to signs that said, "Victory In Colorado 2004," Bush said that the country is safer because of his war on terror, and that the country's missions in Afghanistan and Iraq are clear.
"Because we acted, the government of a free Afghanistan is fighting terror. Pakistan is capturing terrorist leaders. Saudi Arabia is making raids and arrests. Libya is dismantling its weapons programs. The army of a free Iraq is fighting for freedom and more than three-quarters of al-Qaida's key members and associates have been brought to justice," Bush said.
Bush also slammed Kerry for positions on Iraq, using an Iraq funding question to say Kerry can't make up his mind and lacks a clear vision.
"He actually said, 'I voted for the $87 billion before I voted against it.' I've spent some time in Colorado. People out here don't talk like that," Bush said. "The American president must be clear in his thinking and must be clear in his speaking in order to make this world a freer place."
Two hecklers disrupted his speech, and the crowd shouted them down with chants of "Four more years!" One heckler yelled, "You lied" while waving a sign protesting the war in Iraq. Bystanders ripped away the sign and wrestled the man off his perch on a railing.
Bush left Colorado shortly after his speech, taking off from Buckley Air Force Base just before 10:30 a.m. He was headed to Las Vegas for an appearance before the National Guard Association of the United States, where he talked about improving life for its members.
Bush said members are fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq and are helping Florida recover from hurricanes. Bush says he's "proud to be their commander in chief." The Pentagon's use of the National Guard and Reserve grew quickly after Bush approved a partial mobilization after Sept. 11, 2001. The Guard and Reserve make up about 40 percent of U.S. forces in Iraq.
At least 175 Guard and Reserve members have died in Iraq since the U.S. invaded in March 2003.
In response to the president's appearance in Colorado , the Democrats put forth a high-powered group called Republicans for Kerry, who say that America has lost the moral high-ground in the world and Bush has done nothing to jumpstart the economy.
"I'm one of the few Republicans I know who's willing to stand up in front of the media and express my concern that the Bush administration is taking us down the wrong path and I think we need a change in leadership," said Eric Eidsness, a former Ronald Reagan appointee from Fort Collins.
Colorado is a key state in this year's election. Four years ago Bush won Colorado by 9 percentage points but polls show it's much tighter this time around.
The president needs western states like Colorado, Nevada and Arizona if he's to reach the magic 270 electoral votes needed for reelection.
Last week, the Democratic Party claimed that the state is still a tossup although it is not considered a battleground state.
Bill Ray, spokesman for the state Republican Party, said Bush planned his trip long before Democrats decided they still have a chance to win in Colorado, even though Republicans have a 185,000 vote advantage in registration.
"The president didn't decide to come based on the Kerry campaign moving the state from tier to tier," Ray said.
On Monday, Colorado Democrats ridiculed Bush's health care plans, saying if sweets were sold like prescription drugs, a cookie that cost $1 Colorado could be bought in Canada for 27 cents.
State Senate Minority Leader Joan Fitz-Gerald, D-Golden, held a mock bake sale outside a Lakewood managed care facility to dramatize the point. She said the Bush administration's decision to increase Medicare premiums by 17 percent would cost Colorado seniors $64 million next year.
She said Bush's proposed health savings accounts would also hurt senior citizens.
"Health savings accounts are a great idea if you are healthy. They are a really bad idea if you are not," she said.
On Monday, Bush stressed his health care plans during a campaign trip to Muskegon, Mich., denouncing Democrat John Kerry's health care proposal as a government takeover that would trigger tax hikes.
Bush spokesman Kevin Madden said Kerry's plan would do nothing to reduce health care costs and shifts the burden to the federal government.
"This is yet another nonsensical attack by John Kerry and his campaign surrogates. Medicare premiums are mandated by a formula that John Kerry voted for. This formula is set in law and based on the cost of health care. That is why the president is focused on reducing the underlying costs of our health care," Madden said.
Fitz-Gerald said many drugs seniors need are not on a draft list of medicines that Medicare will cover. She said 30 tablets of Prevacid, a heartburn drug widely prescribed for seniors, cost $138 in Colorado but only $44.27 in Canada.
Fitz-Gerald said Bush's health plans have left 772,000 Coloradans without health insurance. She said Kerry is focusing on plans that could be put in place quickly, such as tax credits and prescription drug options, before focusing on broader reforms.
An elderly resident at the Villa Manor Care Center said she is not happy with increased Medicare costs and her inability to buy cheaper drugs from Canada, and blames Bush.
"Don't say his name to me. The cost of my medication is too high and it's all his fault. I wouldn't walk across the street to see him," said Gennevieve Schneider, an 84-year-old retired grocery worker.
Kerry will also expected to visit Colorado later this week. He'll be here on Friday although no other details are yet available about his visit.
Copyright 2005 by TheDenverChannel.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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