Bush campaign shifts gears

2004-01-29 15:47

Washington - Facing a new Democratic front-runner in John Kerry, President George W Bush's re-election campaign is quietly shifting gears, preparing for the possibility it will confront a war hero and current senator.

But the line of attack is the same: Whether Howard Dean or Kerry, the Democrats' nominee would be a left-leaning New Englander who wants to "raise taxes" and reverse course on Iraq, campaign officials and Bush advisers say.

"This week's front-runner is very much like the front-runner of two weeks ago: a Northeast liberal who motivates his support based on anger and negativity," said Bush campaign spokesperson Terry Holt.

At the same time, there is debate within Bush's administration and inside his re-election headquarters about how hard to strike at Kerry, of Massachusetts, who won the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary.

Some of Bush's political advisers take credit for successfully tarring Dean as an angry liberal, and are now suffering a kind of buyer's remorse.

They wonder whether their criticism fuelled the rise of Kerry - a more formidable candidate, in the estimation of some campaign officials.

He is a decorated Vietnam War veteran, knowledgeable about domestic and foreign affairs, and has a certain gravities and strength as a debater.

Knocking down Kerry now, they say, could help ignite the candidacy of a Democrat some Bush campaign officials fear even more: Senator John Edwards of North Carolina, who finished a strong second in Iowa but slumped to fourth place in New Hampshire, just behind retired General Wesley Clark, his other Southern rival.

A recent poll showed Edwards with a slight lead in South Carolina's critical primary next Tuesday, and he holds a strong appeal elsewhere in the South, which was Bush Country in 2000.

Some Bush campaign advisers worry that Edwards' promise to end what the candidate charges are the "two Americas" - one for the wealthy and privileged and the other for working people and the poor - could have broad appeal.

Bush operatives are also mindful that in Edwards' 1998 election, about six in 10 women backed him, and black voters supported him by a 9-to-1 margin.

As Democrats moved on to the next round of primary states, Bush was heading to New Hampshire on Thursday, two days after the primary, to polish his image after months of pummelling by the Democrats.

Officially, the administration says it is above the Democrats' fray. But White House corridors were abuzz on Wednesday with talk of New Hampshire and the Democratic candidates.

- AP