MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) – Diane Swasey didn’t have to prepare the sign she held up in protest during President Bush’s visit Wednesday: She made it in 2000 and keeps it in her car to be ready any time, anywhere.

Swasey, whose sign reads, “Read my lips: No more false promises,” was among about three dozen protesters who stood across the street from the hotel where Bush delivered a speech on the economy. But they missed even a fleeting chance to get their message across when the president’s motorcade pulled up behind the hotel instead of out front.

“They don’t listen to us anyway,” said Swasey. “George Bush doesn’t listen to anyone.”

Swasey, 72, said her message to Bush would be simple: “Get an exit strategy from Iraq.”

Inside, Bush told guests at a business luncheon the national economy “is strong and it’s getting stronger.” He promoted his budget for fiscal year 2007 and won applause with themes from last week’s State of the Union address.

Outside, Jose Gonzalez said the president should do less talking and more listening.

“He interrupted everyone’s TV shows with his stupid State of the Union, but he can’t come and listen to us and ask us why we’re protesting,” he said.

Though Gonzalez, 28, had never protested anything before, most of the others were regulars. Brad Carr of New Boston estimated that he had protested about a dozen previous Bush visits.

He said his call to end the war in Iraq was directed not at Bush but to those “pulling the strings in the background.”

“People like them are willing to kill for money,” he said. “It’s no different than organized crime.”

Meanwhile, the state Democratic Party took the opportunity of Bush’s visit to criticize the state’s Republican House members – U.S. Reps. Charles Bass and Jeb Bradley – for their wait-and-see response to the president’s budget.

“It’s not a good sign for George Bush that on the very first day he begins to promote his budget around the country, the state’s two Republican congressmen refuse to endorse it,” party head Kathleen Sullivan said.

Bass and Bradley, she said, “are too scared of the voters to support the President’s deep cuts to Medicare, and too controlled by their party to actually speak out against it.”

Bass’ spokeswoman, Alissa Southworth, said, “Our position hasn’t change since yesterday. The budget is six inches thick and a rush to prejudge would be irresponsible.”

Bradley again said he looks forward to examining the budget and supports “reducing the deficit, growing the economy through tax relief, and slowing the rate of growth of entitlement programs.”