Fayette's representative

in the U.S. Congress is taking on the nation's top Democrat, Senate Majority

Leader Tom Daschle, in a series of press releases calling Daschle an obstructionist

and a socialist, and accusing him of weakening national security.

Daschle's office

characterizes the criticism as petty Republican election strategy, saying

that Republicans have vowed to "do exactly the same thing to Daschle

[that Democrats did to former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich]."

Collins, though,

says it is precisely election strategy that is behind Daschle's opposition

to the House-approved economic stimulus package. He also accuses the South

Dakota senator of deliberately stalling President Bush's judicial appointments.

"The real

issue here is that it is to Daschle's political benefit to stall the recovery

of the economy until after the midterm congressional elections,"

Collins said in one of two press releases issued last week.

"Historically,

the public has blamed the party in power for an economic slowdown, and

voted accordingly, but the point that Daschle is missing is that in the

Senate, his party, the Democratic Party, is in control," he added.

Collins also

quoted Daschle's responses during a Sunday interview on NBC's "Meet

the Press" program in which he said his opposition to the House economic

plan is primarily because that plan would provide too many benefits to

rich people.

"We can't

exacerbate the deficit, we can't exacerbate the long-term interest rates,

we can't exacerbate the division between those who are the wealthiest

and those who are at the other end of the economic spectrum," Daschle

said. Collins labeled the remarks "typical socialist rhetoric"

and said the House plan is designed to stimulate investment while Daschle's

plan would discourage investment.

"Daschle

argues that more entitlements are needed to make the stimulus package

work, but he is being very disingenuous. The House added more entitlements

to the measure in an attempt to help it pass the Democratically controlled

Senate, and he still obstructed it," Collins argued. "Furthermore,

all entitlements create are the need for more entitlements, while investment

capital generates more economic investment and growth. We have a classic

difference in free market enterprise versus traditional socialist thought."

Collins said,

"The 'rich' that Daschle believes will benefit from this economic

stimulus plan are the people who own businesses, provide jobs, and who

need capital to expand or subsist during this economic slowdown. They

are the people who, if the economy doesn't improve, will be in need of

those entitlements that Daschle is so fond of."

Daschle's office

responded that the senator's objection to the House-passed stimulus plan

is based on his insistance that the plan include health insurance benefits

for laid-off workers. "Should an economic stimulus plan include temporary

unemployment and health benefits for laid-off workers? Democrats say yes,

Republicans say no," said Daschle's release.

But Collins

aide Dan Kidder said the House plan does include that benefit, but allows

the unemployed to choose whether they want to receive subsidies for their

own health insurance plans or remain under COBRA, the federal law that

extends an employer's health benefits for six months after a worker is

laid off.

In another

release, Collins accused Daschle of obstructing judicial appointments.

Thirty-seven appointments remained to be confirmed by the Senate as of

last week, said Collins. He said the Senate's failure to have confirmation

hearings on those nominations threatens to create a security crisis.

Daschle's office

said the Senate has confirmed presidential nominees much faster since

Democrats took control than earlier in 2001, when Republicans controlled

the Senate. Democrats took over narrow control mid-year when a Republican

senator switched to independent status.

"In the

107th Congress," said a Daschle release, "Democrats have out-confirmed

Republicans 28 to 0. In the six months that Republicans controlled the

Senate in 2001, not a single Bush judge was confirmed. In the six months

under Democratic control, the Senate will have confirmed at least 28 of

President Bush's judicial nominees." Daschle's office said only four

of 32 nominations remain to be confirmed.

Collins' figure

of 37 remaining nominees includes both judges and U.S. attorneys.

Daschle's release

also said the Senate this last six months has confirmed nominees faster

than in previous administrations: "more than a Democratic-controlled

Senate confirmed for the last Democratic