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Biden criticizes Bush's Obama comments

WASHINGTON, May 18 (UPI) -- President George W. Bush was making a "political hit" on Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., with comments in Israel last week, Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., said Sunday.

Appearing on ABC's "This Week with George Stephanopoulos," Biden said Bush was directly attacking Democratic presidential hopeful when he spoke to Israeli lawmakers and compared unspecified U.S. politicians to pre-World War II appeasers of Adolf Hitler.

"Some seem to believe we should negotiate with terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along," Bush said Thursday.

"This was a political hit. This was a hit. Not trying to make a point," Biden said Sunday.

Obama Friday said he was clearly the target of Bush's comments, although the White House says publicly he was not.

Biden, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Sunday said Bush's "policy has been an abject failure."

"For (Bush) to call those who rightly see the need for talk as appeasers is delusional and for him to do it from abroad is disgraceful."

Webb 'not that interested' in VP bid

WASHINGTON, May 18 (UPI) -- U.S. Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., is "not that interested" in a vice presidential spot on the Democratic ticket this year, he said Sunday.

Appearing on NBC's "Meet the Press," Webb said while his name has been mentioned as a possible running mate, he has yet to be approached by either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama about joining the ticket.

"You know, I -- at this -- at this point, no one's asking, no one's talking, and I'm not that interested, so," Webb said.

Webb -- who was elected the Senate in 2006 -- said he would be open to the idea of joining the ticket, but he said he would "highly discourage" Obama and Clinton from pursuing the idea.

He called on Republicans to support a proposed G.I. Bill that would expand U.S. veterans' benefits. The bill has bipartisan support in the Senate, but there is enough opposition to prevent its passage.

"So I think the Republican Party is, you know, is, is on the block here to, to clearly demonstrate that they value military service or suffer the consequences of losing the support of people who've, who've served," said Webb, who served in the military during Vietnam and was Secretary of the Navy under former President Ronald Reagan.

Crist: Republicans must embrace 'roots'

WASHINGTON, May 18 (UPI) -- The Republican Party must embrace the "optimism" of its foremost historical leaders to win the upcoming election, Florida Gov. Charles Christ said Sunday.

Speaking on CBS' "Face the Nation," Crist said his fellow Republicans must embrace the "roots" of their party to find their way out of a popularity downturn that has GOP politicians and consultants concerned that voters will hand them a severe setback in November.

"We need to, as a party, go back to our roots, if you will," Crist said, "make sure we understand we're the party of Abraham Lincoln, the party of Teddy Roosevelt, the party of Ronald Reagan, who had that wonderful optimism that people looked toward and were excited about and understood that there was greater hope, greater opportunity for the future."

Longtime Republican strategist Ed Rollins said on the same program that President George W. Bush should no longer openly place himself in the middle of this year's campaign.

"This president has to realize that he is no longer on the ballot," Rollins said.

Kennedy seizure: No long-term impact seen

BOSTON, May 18 (UPI) -- Neurologists in Boston familiar with the seizure suffered by Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., said Sunday he should suffer no long-term health effects.

Kennedy suffered a seizure at his home in Hyannisport, Mass., Saturday. Doctors Sunday said he did not suffer a stroke and was "resting comfortably" at a Boston hospital, CNN said.

Dr. David Thaler with the stroke center at Tufts Medical Center in Boston said seizures rarely cause damage to the brain, but could point to other health problems like blood clots in the brain or brain tumors.

"People should be reassured because seizures don't hurt the brain," Thaler told The Boston Globe.

Kennedy is scheduled for a variety of tests during the next two days to determine the cause of the seizure. He is likely to undergo an electroencephalography to examine brain wave function and other medical imaging procedures to look for possible brain tumors or other abnormalities, the Globe said.

Thaler said people can suffer seizures from a variety of minor disruptions, including low blood sugar, sleep deprivation or alcohol intoxication.

There was no official information from Kennedy's office Sunday regarding any planned or concluded medical procedures.