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--> --> Presidential timber in the Rogue Valley: like father like son President Bush's visit to the Rogue Valley Thursday was eerily like President Bush's visit to the Rogue Valley in September of 1992. President George W. Bush, after touching down at Medford International Airport, was swept away to the Compton Arena in Central Point where he connected the dots between fire suppression, the environment and a robust economy. Nearly 10 years before, President H.W. Bush rode Air Force One onto the tarmac at the same airport and rallied the crowd by claiming he was an environmentalist who believes in giving economics and the timber industry equal consideration. While George W. was greeted by a bevy of Republican supporters - most notably Sen. Gordon Smith and Rep. Greg Walden, both up for re-election - his father shook hands with campaign supporters - most notably Republican Gov. Vic Atiyeh and state Republican candidates Randy Miller and David Chen. The elder Bush pounded the podium and drove home the point that the harvesting of damaged or dying timber to keep at least some mills open and reduce the danger of catastrophic wildfire was the job of responsible government. "It's time to protect the jobs with timber that is available now," he said. "It is time to make people more important than owls," he said. The younger Bush delivered a speech on forest thinning in order to protect homes and families from wildfire, insisting that people's lives were more important than environmental conjecture. Then, like his father, he made the appeal more personal, thanking Oregon's firefighters and communities that had banded together to fight the recent fires in the area. "One of the things we learn in Texas, and the same goes here in Oregon, is to be neighborly. It's what makes this country great." Both Bushes had their detractors, but that's where the similarities diverge. The elder Bush was staring down the barrel of a November presidential election, and was attacked for his "spotted owl" stance by the soon-to-be-President Clinton. The younger Bush is set for at least two more years, and, at least for now, must only fend off the attacks of the environmental groups. But two presidents in 10 years is pretty good attention for this valley. Normally, we carry our splendor in a very private manner. Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing