GOP: Democrats foundering under Obama

WASHINGTON, Oct. 8 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama's fellow Democrats in the Senate are rewriting a presidential job creation bill, Sen. John Thune, R-S.D. said Saturday.

In the Republicans' weekly media address, Thune said Obama's $447 billion jobs bill was flawed and Democrats recognized that.

"His latest stimulus bill is so flawed that Senate Democrats have rejected it and are rewriting it, not to grow jobs, but to improve their political standing," he said.

The two-term senator maintained his party's criticism of Democrats' regulatory policy and taxation in the stimulus bill.

"It's nothing but a rehash of the same failed ideas he's already tried, combined with a huge tax increase," Thune said. "This is a cynical political ploy that's designed not to create jobs for struggling Americans, but to save the president's own job."

Part of the broad bill includes formalizing trade deals with South Korea, Colombia and Panama, which were crafted under former Republican President George W. Bush.

Thune said Republicans welcomed that part of the measure, but questioned its timing.

"It's extremely unfortunate that we had to wait so long for the president to do something so simple, to help promote American exports, and create American jobs," he said.