The AP, never known for it's professionalism, lives up to it's heritage: "He said Bush was supported Friday by a substantial margin." So, where'd they get the title?
Bush narrowly wins police group's endorsement
By RON JENKINS, Associated Press
OKLAHOMA CITY (September 8, 2000 9:39 p.m. EDT http://www.nandotimes.com) - The National Fraternal Order of Police endorsed Republican George W. Bush for president Friday, with officers rejecting an earlier recommendation for Al Gore by a union steering committee.
"Real officers facing real problems understand that George W. Bush is a leader who shares their values and shares an unyielding commitment to support law enforcement with action," Gilbert Gallegos, the national FOP president, said in a statement at the union's national board meeting.
The board's endorsement apparently came after a tug-of-war.
Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating, a former FBI agent, took an opportunity Friday morning to try to change FOP members' minds after the unanimous recommendation for Democratic Vice President Gore in June by a five-member union screening committee.
Keating said law enforcement issues demand a conservative like Bush and told members they would "rue the day" they endorsed Gore.
Jim Pasco, executive director, said the Bush campaign "did a good job of articulating their positions on issues that were important to the membership. We saw them as being very responsive to our questions."
Keating said in an interview with The Associated Press, "I told them that if you like the Supreme Court opinions on school prayer, partial-birth abortions and the gay Boy Scout case, then you will love an ultraliberal succession of judges in a Gore White House."
He interrupted the interview to receive a telephone call from Bush.
Gore spokesman Douglas Hattaway would not comment on Keating's role, but he defended the vice president's record and program to fight crime.
"Al Gore supports tough measures to keep families safe from crime including hiring new police officers and prosecutors and passing a victims' rights amendment," Hattaway said.
Pasco said the screening committee's report was given serious consideration, but "the membership showed that there were certain elements that were more important to them than others."
He said Bush was supported Friday by a substantial margin.
Lou Cannon, president of the Washington, D.C., FOP chapter, said members felt Bush would appoint judges who would put "backbone" behind law enforcement. He also said Gore had failed to push for bargaining rights for the uniformed division of the Secret Service that protects the president and vice president.
Another factor, said Gallegos, was the Clinton administration's offer of clemency for 16 Puerto Rican separatists affiliated with the FALN, or Armed Forces of National Liberation, a group held responsible for a wave of bombings in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Fourteen accepted the offer, which was conditioned on the prisoners renouncing violence.
The FOP also cited lawsuits the Justice Department has filed against police departments.
The union endorsed Bill Clinton over President Bush in 1992, a year after the elder Bush's administration began a federal civil rights investigation of the Los Angeles police after the Rodney King beating.
Copyright © 2000 Nando Media
Copyright © 2000 AP Online
Bush narrowly wins police group's endorsement
By RON JENKINS, Associated Press
OKLAHOMA CITY (September 8, 2000 9:39 p.m. EDT http://www.nandotimes.com) - The National Fraternal Order of Police endorsed Republican George W. Bush for president Friday, with officers rejecting an earlier recommendation for Al Gore by a union steering committee.
"Real officers facing real problems understand that George W. Bush is a leader who shares their values and shares an unyielding commitment to support law enforcement with action," Gilbert Gallegos, the national FOP president, said in a statement at the union's national board meeting.
The board's endorsement apparently came after a tug-of-war.
Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating, a former FBI agent, took an opportunity Friday morning to try to change FOP members' minds after the unanimous recommendation for Democratic Vice President Gore in June by a five-member union screening committee.
Keating said law enforcement issues demand a conservative like Bush and told members they would "rue the day" they endorsed Gore.
Jim Pasco, executive director, said the Bush campaign "did a good job of articulating their positions on issues that were important to the membership. We saw them as being very responsive to our questions."
Keating said in an interview with The Associated Press, "I told them that if you like the Supreme Court opinions on school prayer, partial-birth abortions and the gay Boy Scout case, then you will love an ultraliberal succession of judges in a Gore White House."
He interrupted the interview to receive a telephone call from Bush.
Gore spokesman Douglas Hattaway would not comment on Keating's role, but he defended the vice president's record and program to fight crime.
"Al Gore supports tough measures to keep families safe from crime including hiring new police officers and prosecutors and passing a victims' rights amendment," Hattaway said.
Pasco said the screening committee's report was given serious consideration, but "the membership showed that there were certain elements that were more important to them than others."
He said Bush was supported Friday by a substantial margin.
Lou Cannon, president of the Washington, D.C., FOP chapter, said members felt Bush would appoint judges who would put "backbone" behind law enforcement. He also said Gore had failed to push for bargaining rights for the uniformed division of the Secret Service that protects the president and vice president.
Another factor, said Gallegos, was the Clinton administration's offer of clemency for 16 Puerto Rican separatists affiliated with the FALN, or Armed Forces of National Liberation, a group held responsible for a wave of bombings in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Fourteen accepted the offer, which was conditioned on the prisoners renouncing violence.
The FOP also cited lawsuits the Justice Department has filed against police departments.
The union endorsed Bill Clinton over President Bush in 1992, a year after the elder Bush's administration began a federal civil rights investigation of the Los Angeles police after the Rodney King beating.
Copyright © 2000 Nando Media
Copyright © 2000 AP Online