After delivering the fourth veto of his presidency, President Bush arrived in Lancaster County Wednesday ready to defend his decision to halt the proposed expansion of a children's health care program.

During his three-hour-and-15-minute visit here, Bush spoke to about 400 people — mostly supporters — gathered inside the Jay Group Inc.'s new headquarters in West Hempfield Township.

The town meeting-style event was coordinated by The Lancaster Chamber of Commerce & Industry.

Bush, who visited the county for the fifth time since he was elected president, spoke for about 90 minutes during a mostly cordial, occasionally lighthearted, session inside a spacious warehouse. Dark curtains enclosing the arena-style setting, which had the president standing with the seated audience surrounding him on all four sides, gave the space a more intimate atmosphere.

Bush's veto, which he delivered shortly before he boarded Air Force One for the short trip to the county, came days after a bipartisan vote in Congress approved an additional $35 billion for the program over the next five years.

"The policies of the government ought to be (to) help people find private insurance, not federal coverage," Bush told the audience here.

The program — called State Childrens Health Insurance Program, or SCHIP — is designed to help poor and low-income families procure health insurance for their children. It currently insures more than 6 million children, and the proposed expansion would add another 4 million.

Bush's veto drew rebukes from state Democratic lawmakers in Harrisburg and from members of both parties in Washington, D.C.

"He stiff-armed Congress, Democrats and Republicans," Sen. Bob Casey Jr., Pennsylvania's junior senator, said during a telephone interview. "It's time for him to start acting like a leader, an adult."

During his question-and-answer session with the audience at the Jay Group, it didn't take long for Bush to stray from the planned themes of the event — tax policies and health insurance.

By the end of the 90-minute question-and-answer meeting, Bush fielded questions on a wide range of topics, including the war in Iraq, U.S. relations with Iran and illegal immigration.

Talking about the war in Iraq, Bush said: "I would remind you that the people that have sworn allegiance to Osama bin Laden in Iraq wanted Anbar Province as a safe haven from which to launch further attacks on the United States."

Bush's visit to the county began when Air Force One touched down on a runway at Lancaster Airport in Manheim Township about 10:40 a.m.

He flew with White House press secretary Dana Perino, White House counsel Ed Gillespie and dozens of White House press corps members. Also on board were Congressman Joe Pitts, who represents Lancaster County, and U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter.

Bush was met on the runway by a delegation of local officials.

While at the airport, he presented 10-year-old Kennedy Kulish of Hambright Elementary School with an award recognizing her volunteer work.

Bush's lengthy motorcade rolled through the countryside to Route 222 before connecting with Route 30 and traveling west before exiting in Mountville and completing the trip to the Jay Group's new headquarters at 700 Indian Springs Road.

Supporters mostly lined the route to wave to the president, but some protesters greeted Bush with signs and shouts of disapproval.

At the Jay Group's headquarters, Bush stood with a microphone in the middle of a square formed by four seating areas.

He started with a short speech about the importance of cutting taxes for small businesses. He also justified his veto of the proposed expansion of the children's health insurance program.

When it came time for the question-and-answer session, he strolled the floor, picking audience members at random.

Manheim Realtor Gerry Beane was the first to speak and said, "from man-to-man, taxpayer to president," he believes the United States needs to disengage from Iraq.

Beane sat next to Sherry Wolfe, who wore a pink T-shirt emblazoned with the words, "GEORGE BUSH YOUR WAR KILLED MY FRIEND'S SON."

More than 3,800 U.S. soldiers have died in Iraq since 2003, including the person referred to on Wolfe's T-shirt, Brent Adams of Mountville.

"Like you, I want them home," Bush said.

He defended his Iraq policy as necessary to ensure the security of the United States and the growth of democracy in the Middle East.

Bush's voice was at its loudest and most passionate when he was talking about the Middle East.

Bush said if the United States fully withdraws from Iraq now, it would cause sectarian violence to escalate in Iraq and embolden Iran, which the United States accuses of trying to develop nuclear weapons.

"There would be nothing worse for world peace if the Iranians believed that the United States didn't have the will and commitment to help young democracies survive," Bush said, referring to both Iraq and Afghanistan.

"What you don't want is … to have a nuclear arms race in the Middle East."

Bush said diplomacy and economic sanctions would be the best way to deter Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

A 10th-grader asked Bush why he wouldn't sit down with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to negotiate a settlement of ongoing rhetorical hostilities.

The president said he would have direct talks with Ahmadinejad only if Iran would forego its nuclear weapons program. Iran says it's developing nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.

"In other words, it's his choice, not mine anymore," Bush said.

On immigration, Bush remained steadfast in his support of a proposed guest worker program, even though efforts in Washington to reform immigrations law remain in hibernation.

Bush proposes allowing immigrants to work in the United States temporarily. Under the plan, immigrants would be given an ID card U.S. employers could use to verify their guest-worker status.

"Until we have a rational temporary guest worker program, people are going to sneak in," he said.

While audience members wanted to talk about hot-button issues like the war on terror and immigration, Bush's veto drew a flurry of statements and news releases from supporters of SCHIP in Pennsylvania and Washington, particularly Democrats, denouncing the president's decision.

"The Bush administration seems to have no problem asking the American people to pay over a trillion dollars for a war against a sovereign nation (Iraq) that posed no immediate threat to the United States, but objects to making sure millions of children in this country get decent health care," said Bruce Beardsley, chairman of the Lancaster County Democratic Committee.

The $35 billion proposed expansion would take place over five years and be paid for by an increase in cigarette taxes.

The Senate approved the bill 67-29 last week, enough to override Bush' veto, but the House voted in favor by just 265-159, short of the two-thirds majority needed. Both chambers are controlled by Democrats.

Bush said the expansion would allow those who can afford private insurance to opt into government-sponsored coverage. The original intent of SCHIP, he said, was to help needy children.

"Poor kids, first," he said. "Secondly, I believe in private medicine, not the federal government running the health care system."

Among other criticisms of the expansion, Bush said it would allow children of illegal immigrants to opt into SCHIP and that some states use SCHIP funding to cover adults.

For those reasons, Congressman Pitts said he would vote to sustain the veto.

"It strikes out," he said.

Casey, however, said the expansion would only help children from families who find themselves making too much to enroll in Medicaid but too little to afford private insurance.

He noted that Democrats and Republicans in Congress supported the expansion.

"The president obliterated that consensus, and he did it purely for ideological and political reasons," Casey said.

Before the Jay Group event concluded, Bush told audience members that during his presidency he has been most disappointed by "the harshness of the discourse" but that he remains hopeful his policies will work in the long run.

"I don't know what people think when they're looking on the TV screen (at me)," he said. "The only thing I can do is just to tell you what's in my heart and to let you know the principles by which I decide things."

Bush departed the Jay Group after shaking hands with supporters and followed the same route he took from the airport.

Air Force One, which waited on the runway, lifted off shortly after 2 p.m.

E-mail: dpidgeon@lnpnews.com