Former television journalist Dale Cardwell on Thursday accused Chambliss of being bought off by special interest contributions from the tobacco and health insurance industries. The children's health expansion would be funded by a boost in the cigarette tax.

``There has been no better example this year of the power special interests have over Saxby Chambliss than his vote against children's healthcare,'' Cardwell said at state Capitol news conference.

Chambliss has received $145,000 from tobacco interests and $123,299 from health insurance political action committees since 1994, according to data from Congressional Quarterly.

A phone call to Chambliss' Washington office was not immediately returned on Thursday.

Earlier this week President Bush vetoed what would have been a $35 billion, five-year expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Plan that had been approved in the Democratic-led Congress. The measure called for adding an estimated 4 million mostly lower-income children to a program that currently covers 6.6 million.

Chambliss and U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, also of Georgia, are among the Republicans who voted against the plan. They said while they support expanding the program, the bill is too generous. It lets some states continue getting waivers to enroll families in higher income brackets and adults.

Financial woes have plagued the popular PeachCare program Georgia's version of the children's health plan which enrolls some 282,501 children.

PeachCare ran out of money earlier this year, forcing state officials to plug the gap until Congress came through with additional funding. PeachCare enrollment was frozen for four months while the problem was resolved.

Anticipating Bush's veto, Congress approved federal funding to keep the health insurance programs in Georgia and other states running through the end of November.

(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)