Bush Advisers, With Eye on Dean, Formulate '04 Plans
WASHINGTON, Dec. 25 -- President Bush's campaign has settled on a plan to run against Howard Dean that would portray him as reckless, angry and pessimistic, while framing the 2004 election as a referendum on the direction of the nation more than on the president himself, Mr. Bush's aides say.
Some advisers to Mr. Bush, increasingly convinced that Dr. Dean will become their opponent next fall, are pushing to begin a drive to undercut him even before a Democratic nominee becomes clear. But others said the more likely plan would be to hold back until after the Democratic contest had effectively ended, probably no later than March.
As a Bush strategist put it, Dr. Dean's rivals are "doing a great job for us" with their increasingly tough attacks on him.
"Mr. Bush's campaign aides left little doubt that if Dr. Dean captured the nomination, those Democratic criticisms would be put to service in Republican television advertisements next year, a tactic that would fit with the White House's general goal of keeping Mr. Bush personally above the partisan fray."
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It just pisses me off to no end to see the Republicans laughing as our party in disarray continues to cannibalize itself. I mean we as a party are totally out of power right now, we don't have control over any of the branches of government including the press (as the 4th branch) which is firmly in the GOP's hands. And, instead of working together to fight Bush and the GOP and win it all back, all we can do is eat are young and do the Bush campaigns work for us by smearing the one by far most likely to have to face Bush in 04, and giving his campaign a very large amount of ammo to work with.