Dubya Climbs Off The Mat
George W. Bush is not on the ropes. His campaign has some problems, but it's not in crisis. There are polls that don't favor him, but they are only polls. All that's happened is that he's found himself in a fight, which he had not anticipated.
A fight, by its very nature, is heated and angry.
No question: New Hampshire took Bush - and everyone else - by surprise. It forced him to abandon the smiling, logically circular "I'm gonna win because I'm a winner" cruise that marked his early campaigning. He's had to tackle John McCain head on, and he's had to tinker with his campaign style. But, as he says, the long election process is designed to answer the question, "Can a candidate endure the downs as well as the ups?"
McCain has tried to outflank Bush by abandoning negative campaigning, and he asked Bush to do the same. But Bush's response was, in essence, a rejection of the notion that McCain can dictate the rules of engagement.
"His ads trying to link me to Bill Clinton didn't work," Bush reasoned, and "all of a sudden, he says 'Let's all quit.'" There's a kernel of kernel of truth in it: independents and Democrats taking a dreamy-eyed glance at McCain are less likely to turn out for the Arizona senator if Bush can paint him as a squabbling partisan.
McCain found himself Monday fending off Bush salvos about his voting record in the Senate. The Bush camp points to inconsistencies in McCain's votes on public financing of campaigns and other hot GOP issues. The senator says a long voting record is bound to include contradictions: "I will make compromises - that's the essence of legislating."
Quite true, but not what McCain meant to talk about.
Moreover, Bush thinks he's spotted a policy blunder on McCain's part, which he intends to unveil at Tuesday night's debate. It'll be interesting to see if McCain's vow to keep positive can withstand face-to-face taunting.
And don't forget the massive money and massive organization behind him. Don't forget how meager McCain's resources are in the dense bonanza of primaries coming up in the next month. Lastly, don't forget that Bush has fought uphill battles before.
He reminded an audience Monday that he beat popular Democratic governor Ann Richards in Texas in 1994. "I believe taking on Ann Richards is tougher than taking on Al Gore will be," Bush said.
Bush is in a fight, but he has by no means lost that fight.
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