Details from the fund-raising side of the Bush visit

Tuesday, July 22, 2008, 07:05 PM

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

As stated below, reporters were barred from the $1,000-a-head fund-raiser for Rick Goddard, the retired Air Force major general, that featured President Bush.

But Goddard spokesman Tim Baker said attendees, in addition to Gov. Sonny Perdue, included Secretary of State Karen Handel, former congressman Mac Collins, state Public Service Commissioner Angela Spier, state GOP party chairman Sue Everhart, and Alec Poitevint, who heads up the presidential campaign of John McCain in Georgia.

Close to 200 purchased tickets for the fund-raiser, held at the Buckhead home of Harrison Merrill, a local developer. Baker said Bush spoke for 40 minutes, praising Goddard, U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss — who is up for re-election but did not attend — and McCain.

But after shaking hands for only 10 minutes, Bush left the event 40 minutes ahead of schedule, as a line of heavy thunderstorms approached Dobbins Air Reserve Base, where Air Force One was parked.

Bush's early exit forced the shutdown of northbound I-75 at 5:30 p.m., during the height of rush-hour traffic leaving downtown Atlanta. All told, the president spent just over 100 minutes on the ground.

Goddard, of course, is running against U.S. Rep. Jim Marshall of Macon. And Marshall's spokesman, Douglas Moore, indicated the Democrat is likely to use the cost of the Bush visit — which Moore pegged a “hundreds of thousands of dollars” — as a campaign issue.

Baker said the Goddard campaign would write a $40,000 check to cover the cost of the Bush visit, a price that he said was grounded in federal law.