Oct. 4 (Bloomberg) -- For Democrats, President George W. Bush's veto yesterday of a measure expanding children's health care is a legislative setback -- and a political opportunity.

Democrats have delayed for two weeks a vote to override the veto while they, along with unions and activist allies, unleash advertising campaigns condemning Republicans who sided with Bush. Even if the ads don't persuade a sufficient number of Republicans to switch their vote, they will continue a drumbeat of criticism on party lawmakers targeted for defeat in the 2008 elections.

``You never want to be portrayed as against children and against health care,'' said Nathan Gonzales, political editor of the non-partisan Rothenberg Political Report. ``It certainly could come back to haunt the Republicans.''

Republicans who insist that rejection of the health-care proposal is the fiscally responsible stand say Democrats are trying to use the veto for political gain.

``It would seem to me the Democrats are saying, `let's have a two-week period to play politics with this,''' said Republican Representative Joe Barton of Texas.

Representative Randy Kuhl, a New York Republican who won his last election with 51 percent of the vote, said he can explain to voters that he isn't against an expansion of the program, he just wants a smaller, more-focused one.

``We ought to be putting our poor children first,'' said Kuhl, 64.

Targeted

Kuhl is being targeted by groups that back the Democrat- drafted measure. Labor unions and MoveOn.org said they will collectively spend as much as $5 million on TV ads, e-mails and letters targeting Republicans.

``We will pay particular attention to vulnerable Republicans,'' said Gerald McEntee, president of the 1.4 million-member American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.

McEntee has joined forces with the 1.9 million-member Service Employees International Union, MoveOn.org and other liberal groups for planned rallies at more than 200 congressional districts.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is airing ads in Representative Timothy Walberg's district that suggest the Michigan Republican's opposition to expanding the health- care program demonstrates a loyalty to the White House over the interests of children.

`A Choice'

``Congressman Walberg has a choice to make: continue to stand with President Bush or with American children,'' the ad states.

Walberg, 56, is a first-term lawmaker who won his seat with just 51 percent of the vote. Like seven of the eight Republican lawmakers targeted by the Democrats, Walberg is listed as vulnerable in the 2008 election by the Cook Political Report.

Walberg has said that the Democratic proposal would expand the program too aggressively and he will support Bush's veto, according to his press secretary Matthew Lahr.

At issue is the State Children's Health Insurance Program, known as Schip, which was created to subsidize children's health care for families that earn as much as twice the federal poverty level, currently $41,000 for a family of four. The vetoed compromise proposal would expand the $25 billion program by $35 billion over the next five years. The additional money would come from raising the cigarette taxes by 61 cents to $1 per pack.

Bush has proposed increasing funding for the program by $5 billion over five years. Some Republicans say the compromise would unnecessarily expand the program to include families who can afford to pay for health care.

The pressure on Republicans who opposed the legislation appears to be having little effect.

Sustain Veto

The House passed the final measure, 265-159, short of the two-thirds majority that needed to override Bush's veto. The Senate approved it 67-29, with 18 Republicans crossing party lines to support the measure.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, a Maryland Democrat, said this week that he needs 15 Republicans to switch their votes to ensure getting the number necessary to override, and has seen no sign that any are prepared to do so.

A number of Republicans who voted against the measure last week said they have little to fear in opposing the legislation because it underscores a Republican drive for fiscal restraint. That's a theme that will also echo this fall in a broader fight over fiscal 2008 spending bills, said Representative Tom Feeney, a Florida Republican.

``We'll have a great time with this issue,'' Feeney, 49, said. ``It will play well in my district. The Democratic ads will reinforce the idea that I'm one of the Republicans who hasn't lost his way.''

Targeted

Both Feeney and Kuhl are targeted by the DCCC's campaign, which includes e-mails and automated calls.

The Schip issue is just one of several, including the Iraq war and minimum wage, that Democrats will likely revisit in the next campaign season, said Gonzales of the Rothenberg Political Report.

Details of the current debate may be lost on most voters so Democrats will need to distill the broader Schip debate about eligibility and federal spending into one focused on children, he said. ``It remains to be seen if this can be made a black and white issue,'' Gonzales said.

To contact the reporters on this story: Laura Litvan in Washington at llitvan@bloomberg.net; Christopher Stern in Washington at Cstern3@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: October 4, 2007 00:13 EDT