Bush ''Ranger'' Pataki adds Iraq to his itinerary [View All]

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http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/ny-bc-ny--marchumbert0214feb14,0,2434211.story?coll=ny-ap-regional-wire

<snip>Bush administration officials said the trip was arranged by the Pentagon with some help from the White House, although Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Tuesday, as the governors began their two-day visit to Iraq, that he couldn't remember inviting them to go. snip

The suggestion that Bush re-election politics might be a factor, however, is more believable in part because of Pataki's involvement.

The New York governor has been traveling across the country giving speeches and raising money on Bush's behalf for months. Having raised more than $7 million, Pataki has easily earned a place on the list of "Bush Rangers," a designation reserved for supporters who have collected more than $200,000 for the Bush-Cheney campaign.

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