An Ice-cold Reception

Protesters Greet Bush as He Touts Environmental Policies in Northwest

President Bush made a swing through Oregon and Washington state late last week to talk up his environmental agenda in an attempt to attract eco-concerned suburban voters, but he was met with thousands of protesters who didn't buy his promises to deliver "Clear Skies" and "Healthy Forests." More than 2,000 demonstrators greeted Bush in Portland, Ore., on Thursday, before he was flown over a forest fire and then touted his fire-prevention strategy, which relies on increased logging in national forests. On Friday, Bush stood in front of the Ice Harbor Dam in eastern Washington and claimed that salmon can be saved without breaching any power-generating dams. But he chose a poor example for a backdrop: The Ice Harbor Dam has violated water-quality standards for 39 days in a row, making the water behind it hot enough to kill salmon.