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The kiss of political death?

Wednesday, April 12, 2006 | 7:37 a.m.

Many Republicans in Congress, now raising money for their midterm election campaigns, realize that they invite President Bush to their districts at their own risk. They are afraid of the backlash from Bush's national and international stumbles, such as Iraq, Social Security, domestic spying, ports security, deficit spending and Hurricane Katrina.

Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev., has even more to be concerned about. Bush has gone back on his campaign promise to Nevada, that "sound science" would dictate his decision on Yucca Mountain. But for the six years he's been in office, politics and pressure from the nuclear power industry have been Bush's only guides.

His latest plan is to fast-track Yucca Mountain and stuff more than 132,000 tons of nuclear waste into it, when 77,000 tons have been the limit in the past.

Bush also wanted last year to rewrite the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act so that hundreds of millions of dollars a year belonging to Nevada could be diverted into the federal treasury to partially compensate for his cut-taxes-and-spend policy.

Nevertheless, Bush will be in Las Vegas on April 24 for a Porter fundraiser at the Venetian. At least no one can accuse Porter of not being a risk-taker on this one.

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