AP: Hillary Clinton Scolds Bush on Aid to Localities

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6785707,00.html

Clinton Scolds Bush on Aid to Localities

Tuesday July 17, 2007 6:16 PM

By BOB LEWIS

Associated Press Writer

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - 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, including health insurance for children and funding for community development.

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 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.

FULL story at link.

[Old and In the Way]

1. "Scolds"?

What an interesting word to use in describing Clinton's comments. Why not a more neutral word, like "criticizes"? Lede's are powerful conveyors of condensed messages. They can mold an idea or image as well as tell a storyline concisely.