BEHIND THE BUSHES

POLL OF ALLIES PUTS BUSH IN AXIS OF EVIL

GUARDIAN - America is now seen as a threat to world peace by its closest
neighbors and allies, according to an international survey of public
opinion published today that reveals just how far the country's
reputation has fallen among former supporters since the invasion of
Iraq. Carried out as US voters prepare to go to the polls next week in
an election dominated by the war, the research also shows that British
voters see George Bush as a greater danger to world peace than either
the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-il, or the Iranian president, Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad. Both countries were once cited by the US president as part
of an "axis of evil", but it is Mr Bush who now alarms voters in
countries with traditionally strong links to the US. . .

In Britain, 69% of those questioned say they believe US policy has made
the world less safe since 2001, with only 7% thinking action in Iraq and
Afghanistan has increased global security. The finding is mirrored in
America's immediate northern and southern neighbors, Canada and Mexico,
with 62% of Canadians and 57% of Mexicans saying the world has become
more dangerous because of US policy.

Even in Israel, which has long looked to America to guarantee national
security, support for the US has slipped. Only one in four Israeli
voters say that Mr Bush has made the world safer, outweighed by the
number who think he has added to the risk of international conflict, 36%
to 25%. A further 30% say that at best he has made no difference. . .

As a result, Mr Bush is ranked with some of his bitterest enemies as a
cause of global anxiety. He is outranked by Osama bin Laden in all four
countries, but runs the al-Qaida leader close in the eyes of UK voters:
87% think the al-Qaida leader is a great or moderate danger to peace,
compared with 75% who think this of Mr Bush.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,1938434,00.html

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BUSH: SANCTITY OF LIFE DOESN'T APPLY TO IMMIGRANT BABIES

ROBERT PEAR, NY TIMES - Under a new federal policy, children born in the
United States to illegal immigrants with low incomes will no longer be
automatically entitled to health insurance through Medicaid, Bush
administration officials said Thursday. Doctors and hospitals said the
policy change would make it more difficult for such infants, who are
United States citizens, to obtain health care needed in the first year
of life.

Illegal immigrants are generally barred from Medicaid but can get
coverage for treatment of emergency medical conditions, including labor
and delivery. In the past, once a woman received emergency care under
Medicaid for the birth of a baby, the child was deemed eligible for
coverage as well, and states had to cover the children for one year from
the date of birth.

Under the new policy, an application must be filed for the child, and
the parents must provide documents to prove the child's citizenship. . .


Obtaining a birth certificate can take weeks in some states, doctors
said. Moreover, they said, illegal immigrant parents may be reluctant to
go to a state welfare office to file applications because they fear
contact with government agencies that could report their presence to
immigration authorities.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/03/washington/03medicaid.html?th=&emc=
th&pagewanted=print