Thursday May 3 8:38 PM ET

Bush, GOP Response to Be in Spanish

By SUZANNE GAMBOA, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - The weekly war of words between Republicans and Democrats will be delivered with a twist this Saturday. It will be in English and Spanish.

President Bush (news - web sites) plans to deliver a version of his weekly English language radio address in Spanish. Democrats said they'll respond in kind.

Minority Leader Dick Gephardt, D-Mo., and Rep. Silvestre Reyes (news - bio - voting record), D-Texas, will provide the Spanish response.

``We decided a long time ago that President Bush and the Republican Party have an aggressive strategy of trying to appeal to the Latino community,'' said Reyes, Congressional Hispanic Caucus chairman. ``That's fine. We think we can compete without any problem.''

``We want the Latino community to know and understand clearly what Bush says and what he does, which are often two different things,'' he said.

The White House would not comment on the address. It was unclear whether Bush would deliver a Spanish version every week.

The address and responses will be aired by Radio Unica, a Miami-based radio station network with affiliates around the country.

Bush's Spanish address coincides with the celebration of Cinco de Mayo, a Mexican holiday commemorating a battle that is celebrated in many Mexican American communities.

Fabiolo Rodriguez, a spokeswoman for Gephardt, said there is no competition for the Hispanic electorate.

``We have been there for them, so we are not competing for the Hispanic community,'' she said.

-- Anonymous, May 03, 2001