The best answer to those who feel the democratic party just went off a cliff is to
look how the opposition sees it.
White House correspondent David Gregory dropped a hint on "NBC Nightly News," saying that "the president has told people he believes tonight's Super Tuesday results mark the real beginning of the general election." Gregory added: "Feeling that his conservative base is secure, Mr. Bush is now studying Kerry's positions and preparing to target the senator's record."
Bush is running behind Kerry in polls and has spent recent months on the defensive over the case he made for war in Iraq, his service in the National Guard and his economic policies. Another sign of the administration's engagement in the campaign yesterday was Vice President Cheney giving interviews to three cable networks. The Bush-Cheney campaign will begin its paid ads tomorrow.
The Oval Office session was designed to show Bush as eager to campaign and fight back against Kerry, and to portray the president as engaged in the issues of the day. The meeting was supposed to run just half an hour, and Bush seemed to enjoy showing that he could handle whatever topics were fired at him, according to the accounts.
White House reporters have been complaining about their lack of access to Bush, and aides hoped to recapture some of the camaraderie of his campaign plane early in the 2000 race, when he engaged reporters with long, off-the-record chats.
Where's Mike Allen? Pass the salsa, Slim. Let's talk suck-up. I'm gonna need you to save my ass.