POLITICS
Bush to Sell World Leaders on U.S. Bailout Plan
2008-09-22 12:52pm
President Bush will make his case to the nations of the world this week that the government's bailout plan to rescue the nation's top financial industry companies is sound.
Bush, in his last appearance as president before the United Nations General Assembly, will discuss the $700 billion-plus financial rescue package being put together by his administration and Congress, in response to Wall Street's financial meltdown this month.
White House officials said Bush will need to reassure world leaders that he took "aggressive, decisive action" when asking Congress to approve the bailout measure.
Democrats, however, are pushing their own version of the plan, while some conservative House Republicans are balking at the price tag and hooking taxpayers for the tab.
Before leaving the White House, Bush said he understood the disagreements but said Congress needed to work quickly and not get bogged down with the legislation.
"Americans are watching to see if Democrats and Republicans, the Congress and the White House, can come together to solve this problem with the urgency it warrants," Bush said. "Indeed, the whole world is watching to see if we can act quickly."
(c) 2008 Newsroom.