Clinton promises to expand federal aid to local governments for health care, development

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton on Tuesday said the Bush administration had broken historic partnerships between local governments and the federal government and promised to support a range of federal aid to localities.

The former first lady promised about 2,500 elected county officials attending the National Association of Counties annual convention that she and a Democratic Congress would expand the child health insurance program to cover 9 million uninsured children if she wins next year's election.

Clinton said county governments have coped with 45 million Americans who have no health coverage and that those Americans have been "invisible to the president for the last 6 1/2 years."

"We're ready to make a change in Washington, D.C., so they will no longer be invisible to the president of the United States," Clinton said in a pointed attack on the Bush White House.

She accused Bush of threatening year after year to veto funding for the child health insurance program and urged support for a bipartisan package in Congress that would provide more health coverage to uninsured children.

Clinton said it was time to begin spending money going to Iraq on a number of problems counties confront daily, including tax cuts, concerns about the safety of imported food and rural business development. She also called for expanding federal community development block grants that local governments have broad discretion in using.

"I, for the life of me, don't understand this. We have a president who vetoed bringing our troops home, threatens to veto more health care for our children. How about reversing our priorities. Let's stop sending troops to Iraq and let's start insuring every single child," she said to a standing ovation.

___

HIALEAH, Fla. (AP) _ The U.S. must focus more on Latin America to halt the influence of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani said Tuesday.

"Chavez is picking a recipe for disaster. He's sort of picking (Fidel) Castro as his model, and look what Castro has done," Giuliani said during a campaign stop in this heavily Cuban-American community in the Miami suburbs. "America should do everything it can to oppose that kind of tide moving in Latin America."

Giuliani _ whose law firm used to represent U.S. refineries owned by the Chavez-controlled Citgo Petroleum Corp. _ said the country needs to be more energy independent.

"Unfortunately, we have to rely on Chavez, and we have to rely on the Middle East, and that puts us in a difficult position," Giuliani said.

The U.S. should work more closely with Mexico and Colombia, whose governments have kept their distance from Chavez, to promote free markets and free elections in Latin America, he added.

___

WASHINGTON (AP) _ Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said Tuesday that it's time for "a different attitude on the Supreme Court" and that he would not allow a return to the days of outlawed abortion.

"We've been there before and we're not going back," Obama said to cheers from abortion rights activists at a Planned Parenthood Action Fund conference.

"There's a lot at stake in this election, especially for our daughters," Obama said as he decried recent Supreme Court rulings on abortion.

At a news conference later, Obama said he wouldn't have a litmus test "per se" that required his judicial nominees to support abortion rights, but "you get a pretty good sense from someone's writings, someone's body of work what their judicial philosophy is."

Elizabeth Edwards, wife of candidate John Edwards, told the Planned Parenthood conference that her husband's health care plan would cover abortions. "All reproductive health services, including pregnancy termination, will be available components of his plan," she said.

When she addressed the group, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton vowed that on her first day as president she would overturn a Bush administration executive order forbidding family planning assistance from being directed to any international organization that provides information on abortion.

"The president has played politics with women's health," Clinton said. She also said she would support legislation to make emergency contraception available to American servicewomen.

___

WASHINGTON (AP) _ Republican presidential hopeful John McCain on Tuesday told Christian evangelical supporters of Israel that withdrawing troops from Iraq now would be "one of the most catastrophic and consequential disasters for this nation."

The Arizona senator addressed Christians United for Israel as the Senate began what is expected to be an all-night debate on a measure that would require the U.S. to bring troops home this fall.

A strong war supporter, McCain said backing the Democratic-sponsored measure and withdrawing would be to "declare defeat and allow al-Qaida to obtain victory." Staying and stabilizing Iraq could help ensure the safety of Israel and the Middle East, he said, winning loud applause.

McCain said he is worried that "mismanagement of the conflict after our initial victory" in Iraq has helped strengthen U.S. enemies.

"The Iranians were emboldened, the Syrians were emboldened, the North Koreans were emboldened," McCain said.

Christians United for Israel was formed a year ago by pastors who believe the Bible instructs Christians to protect Israel, led by Texas televangelist John Hagee. Several thousand members are meeting in Washington this week to lobby Congress.

Despite McCain's sometimes tense relationship with evangelicals, his speech won frequent applause and several standing ovations.

___

WASHINGTON (AP) _ The AFL-CIO will decide in early August whether it will start its endorsement process during the Democratic presidential primary or wait until later, union officials said Tuesday.

The final decision on when or if to endorse a candidate for the primaries will come after a Democratic presidential debate in Chicago on Aug. 7, the nation's largest labor federation announced. MSNBC will televise the debate.

Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barack Obama and Chris Dodd, Rep. Dennis Kucinich, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and John Edwards have confirmed that they will attend the debate.

The AFL-CIO represents about 10 million workers in more than 50 unions, and its endorsement would be key for any of the announced candidates.

___

WASHINGTON (AP) _ District of Columbia Mayor Adrian M. Fenty endorsed Democrat Barack Obama on Tuesday.

"I believe a new era of hope is upon us _ in both the District of Columbia and the entire nation," Fenty said. "Barack Obama is the candidate that can reach across party lines and inspire pride in our government again."

Fenty, a fellow Democrat leading a heavily Democratic city, appeared with the Illinois senator at an afternoon news conference at a recreation center in southwest Washington.

Obama said he would push for a voting representative for the district in Congress, but he couldn't guarantee he would be successful since similar legislation has stalled in Congress.

"I want to see it as reality, but I just want to be honest _ we're going to have to work with Congress on this," Obama said. "And so that's why I can't make a promise it's going to happen."

Not to be outdone, the campaign of the front-runner for the Democratic nomination, New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, issued a news release Tuesday announcing her "Mayors Council" _ a list of more than 100 present and former mayors who have endorsed her candidacy.

___

Associated Press writers Jennifer Talhelm, Jesse Holland, Nedra Pickler and Beth Fouhy in Washington and Laura Wides-Munoz in Hialeah, Fla., contributed to this report.

___

On the Net:

AFL-CIO: http://www.aflcio.org