Gore Says Bush Economic Policies Should Be Dumped

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former Vice President Al Gore ( news - web sites) on Saturday criticized President Bush ( news - web sites)'s economic policies, saying they have squandered trillions of dollars of projected U.S. budget surpluses and ought to be "scrapped."

Speaking to a group of black members of the U.S. Congress, the remarks by Gore, who lost the 2000 presidential election to Bush, were part pep rally for Democratic candidates in the Nov. 5 congressional elections.

But his dual themes of Republican economic recklessness and disregard for the ailing Social Security ( news - web sites) retirement fund also may have been a preview of campaign stump speeches to come, if Gore decides to seek a rematch with Bush in 2004.

"Surpluses are gone. They're gone. Where'd they go? One year. Boy, that was fast work," Gore told the Congressional Black Caucus ( news - web sites), an ardent supporter during his presidential campaign.

When Bush took over the White House early last year, the Congressional Budget Office ( news - web sites) was forecasting U.S. budget surpluses of $5.6 trillion over 10 years.

In contrast, last month CBO said there will be budget deficits through fiscal 2005 before a return to surpluses that will total only $336 billion through 2011.

During the 2000 presidential campaign, Gore warned that Bush's sweeping tax-cut plan, which will reduce government receipts by about $1.4 trillion, was too "risky" for the U.S. economy. His Saturday speech was a not-so-subtle "I told you so."