Water feud catches Bush in a bind

[maddezmom]

Source: AP

Water feud catches Bush in a bind By BEN EVANS, Associated Press Writer
Wed Oct 31, 3:20 AM ET



WASHINGTON - Presidents like to deliver good news in times of disaster. Yet three governors heading to Washington to lobby for water rights amid a potentially catastrophic drought are likely to put the Bush administration on the spot.

If the administration decides to bolster Georgia's drinking supply, Alabama and Florida may claim it's crippling their economies to satisfy uncontrolled growth around Atlanta. If it continues releasing water downstream to Alabama and Florida, Georgia could argue one of the nation's largest cities is being hung out to dry.

Making matters worse for President Bush: All three states have Republican governors whose reputations could rise or fall based on their handling of the crisis.

"It does put him into a bind," said Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, R-Ga. "I think there's some give and take on everybody's part, and I think the president is the only one that can sit down with these three governors and say, 'Look guys, we got a problem ... we're all looking bad.'"



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071031/ap_on_go_pr_wh/southern_drought_politics