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Bush campaign manager dismisses rival's poll lead

He tells Hillsborough Republicans the president will win behind two major issues: defense and the economy.

TAMPA - As the president's re-election campaign prepares to ramp up its profile, his campaign manager suggested Saturday that Bush may remain lagging in the polls through the summer.

Bush-Cheney campaign manager Ken Mehlman lowered expectations for Bush to raise his popularity any time soon while projecting confidence that Americans would ultimately reject likely Democratic nominee Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts.

"The American people are going to focus on, I think, two big issues in this campaign. That is: How do we keep America safe and how do we keep the prosperity and the recovery going forward and expand it even further? There is a big difference in these two issues," Mehlman said before addressing Hillsborough Republicans at their annual Lincoln Day Dinner fundraiser at the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay.

Mehlman's visit to a crucial region in a crucial battleground state came just as the Bush-Cheney campaign is preparing to air new television ads. The commercials, touting the president's leadership and record, will begin airing Thursday in the Tampa Bay region and other key markets throughout the state and country.

His visit also came just before the contest for the Democratic nomination moves to Florida. Florida holds its primary March 9 and has 177 delegates at stake.

On Tuesday, when 10 states vote on the nomination, Kerry will be in Ybor City to rally Democrats and await "Super Tuesday" results. His chief rival, North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, will be in Atlanta on Tuesday night.

In remarks to the St. Petersburg Times, Mehlman sounded as if Kerry already had the Democratic nomination. He criticized Kerry and never mentioned Edwards, who has won one primary out of 20.

Mehlman said Kerry's plans to roll back much of Bush's tax cuts would hurt the economy and said Americans will see Kerry has a dubious record on national security.

"If Sen. Kerry had his way, Saddam Hussein would still be in power, and he'd be in charge of Kuwait," Mehlman told about 400 people at the dinner. He also noted that before the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Kerry had pushed for $1.5-billion in cuts to intelligence services.

Kerry campaign spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter said Saturday that Kerry is eager to go toe to toe with Bush on national security. She dismissed the attack on Kerry's economic agenda, saying Kerry wants to impose "fiscal discipline" by rescinding tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans to pay for better health care and schools and reduce the deficit.

"If this president wants to stand by his tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, he will quickly realize that average Americans aren't with him," Cutter said.

Bush has had a rocky few months, facing a steady barrage of attacks from Democratic presidential contenders, news that Iraq may not have had weapons of mass destruction and questions about his National Guard service during Vietnam.

A series of recent national polls have shown Bush lagging behind Kerry in a head to head match-up.

Mehlman brushed off the polls, noting that campaign strategists have long predicted that at some point Bush might fall behind. Few if any, though, had publicly suggested Bush might be behind throughout the spring and summer.

At this point in 1996, incumbent Bill Clinton led Bob Dole in national polls. Former President Bush led Clinton in 1992, though the incumbent's lead evaporated later in the summer. In 1984, Ronald Reagan handily led Walter Mondale at this point in Reagan's re-election campaign.

Given the largely unified Democratic front against Bush during the primaries, Mehlman said, the poll numbers should be no surprise.

"In an unprecedented approach, they all attacked someone who wasn't even running for the nomination. They all attacked the president," said Mehlman, 37. "I don't think the American people have yet focused on the choice they have on Nov. 2, 2004. And that's what we're about to begin doing."