COLUMBIA--President Bush has rescheduled his South
Carolina visit for April 18, a White House spokesman said Wednesday.
The president initially was planning to address a joint session of the
General Assembly today, but canceled that visit so he could attend the funeral
of Pope John Paul II on Friday.
The date was confirmed by White House spokesman Taylor Gross, who said the
event will be the same as originally planned.
That means the president will talk to lawmakers about Social Security as part
of the his 60-stop, cross-country tour to discuss his plans to restructure the
program.
The Senate adopted a resolution Wednesday setting up a joint assembly for
11:15 a.m., April 18. The House passed that resolution the day before.
South Carolina Speaker of the House David Wilkins, R-Greenville, said
Wednesday that he could not confirm the date of the president's visit, but said
if he did come on a Monday, lawmakers would simply adjust their schedules to be
in session the first three days of the week instead of Tuesday through Thursday.
That way, Wilkins said, there would be no additional legislative costs.
Bush has been a frequent visitor to South Carolina since he launched his
first presidential bid in 1999 with Wilkins helping to lead South Carolina
fund-raising efforts. Wilkins reprised that role in Bush's re-election last
year.
Expectations are running high in the Statehouse that Wilkins will accept an
offer from Bush to become U.S. ambassador to Canada.
