Grassley: McCain better as president than Bush

WATERLOO, Iowa — Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) predicted Saturday that Sen. John McCain “will be a better president” than George W. Bush.

Grassley, who has tangled with McCain on taxes, Medicare and the farm bill, praised the Arizona Republican as someone who will strengthen the presidency.

{mosads}“They both have convictions, but with Bush it’s not so obvious,” Grassley said. “The difference is that McCain has got great tenacity, and I think people are going to feel his conviction. That’s important because people don’t feel a closeness to Bush. When McCain is in office, people might not agree with him, but they will feel a closeness to him, and I believe that is a huge additional benefit.”

However, Grassley added, “I’m going to give Bush credit for strengthening the office of the presidency, although he’s been distracted by the controversy over the war in Iraq. I think McCain will do even more to strengthen the presidency. Every president has a responsibility to protect the Constitutional power of the president.”

Grassley’s praise for McCain is notable because the two have not always seen eye to eye on policy.

McCain voted against Bush’s first-term tax cuts that Grassley helped guide through the Senate Finance Committee, and also opposed the new Medicare prescription drug benefit backed by Grassley.

McCain would have to work closely with Grassley if he wins the presidency. Grassley is the top Republican on the Finance Committee, and works closely with its chairman, Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.).

Grassley said he hopes McCain picks Gov. Charlie Crist of Florida or Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota as his running mate. “He’s got to do everything he can to carry Florida,” he said. “If Pawlenty is chosen, it would be to the extent that the Midwest is in play.”

Asked about criticism by those who question McCain’s conservative credentials, Grassley said McCain has “made it very clear he’s going to put strict constructionists on the Supreme Court, so I’m asking conservatives not to be short-sighted.”

Grassley also said he believes unreleased U.S. intelligence may one day vindicate President Bush for his controversial claim that the invasion of Iraq was justified because Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction.

“I don’t think all the evidence is out yet regarding weapons of mass destruction,” Grassley said when asked to assess Bush’s legacy. “I hear from enough people in the intelligence community that the president would look a lot better on the way he’s conducted the war on terror if many of the things that are top-secret could be released to the public.”

Grassley, who has championed greater openness in government throughout his 28 years in the Senate, declared, “Our government keeps a lot of things top-secret, probably some for stupid reasons, but we’re going to find out someday that a lot of this stuff [about weapons of mass destruction], if made public, would make Bush look a lot better in the eyes of history.”

He added, “If I were president, I’d have everything that is labeled top-secret reviewed, and I bet 90 percent of it could be made public.”

Grassley was interviewed as he ate a hearty Iowa breakfast after finishing a 5k race in 30 minutes and 32 seconds.

Asked if he plans to run for a fifth term in 2010, when he’ll be 76, Grassley replied, “If I can get up and run three miles like I did this morning, I’m going to run for reelection.” He said he will also take into account his wife’s health “because she’s been such a loyal supporter.”

Grassley was continuously approached by victims of last week’s Iowa tornado, which ripped through northeastern Iowa, killing seven people.

Grassley got a close view of the most powerful to hit Iowa in 32 years when he saw a huge dark wedge-shaped cloud pass less than two miles from his farm on the afternoon of May 25.

“It didn’t have a funnel shape, so I didn’t know it was a tornado until I turned on the TV,” Grassley said.