Reviewing the first 100 days, Democrats blast Bush's tenure in office

Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle calls the president's first 100 days "compassion for conservatives."

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Democrats issued a scathing review Thursday of President Bush's first 100 days in office, criticizing the new administration for its stands on tax cuts, environmental protection and workplace safety.

Rep. Richard Gephardt, the House minority leader, said Bush has paid only lip service to the idea of bipartisanship, despite his oft-stated promise on the campaign trail to bring a new era of cooperation and comity to Washington.

"I am sad to report to you that in these 100 days, there's been no collaboration, there's been no negotiation, there's been no consensus building, there have been no bipartisan conclusions," Gephardt, D-Missouri, said at a Democratic rally outside the Capitol. "It is 'my way or the highway' every day. We hope that changes, but the uniter has not yet appeared."

INTERACTIVE Video Calendar: Bush's first 100 days       MESSAGE BOARD The first 100 days

Sunday marks Bush's 100th day in office, but Republicans, Democrats, pundits -- even Bush himself -- have already started delivering their reviews. Bush summarized his tenure to date as "pretty darn good" in an interview with CNN Wednesday.

Democrats, not surprisingly, disagreed.

They ran through a laundry list of items that they said highlighted Bush's allegiance to special interests and the wealthy: His proposed $1.6 trillion tax cut would do little to help the middle-class and threatens efforts to pay off the national debt, they said; his support of a Republican move in Congress to turn back Clinton administration ergonomics regulations was a bow to big business, they claimed; and the Democrats said his suspension of new standards issued by Clinton to cut arsenic in drinking water was an affront to environmental protection.

"This is not compassionate conservatism, this is not reforming with results," Gephardt said. "This is 'leaving no special interest behind,' and it must not stand."

Democrats used one of Bush's favorite descriptions against him.

"One hundred days ago, people wondered what is compassionate conservatism," said Sen. Tom Daschle, D-South Dakota, the minority leader in the Senate. "Now we know -- it's compassion for conservatives."

The White House is hosting an event Monday to highlight what it considers to be its achievements.

'Pretty darn good,' Bush says of first 100 days

House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt, D-Missouri
Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-South Dakota
The White House

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.