[Kuksool]

It seems the Bush is planning on waiting until the GOP convention to actually start its campaigning. I think that is a bad move. I was hoping that Bush would be so far ahead that he would have time in October to campaign with GOP Senate candidates in CO, AK, OK, NC, SC, FL, WA, CA, and SD. With the way the Bush team is campaigning, these GOP Senate candidates are going to be on their own.

[LS]

I agree with you that it looks like the main effort is not coming until after the convention. This is partly, I think, due to the fact that in 2000, the Bush team thought it had "softened the ground" sufficiently in mid summer, only to have the DUI thing snatch away several thousand votes (and, in all likelihood, a couple of states) in the last minutes.

I think Rove probably thinks that a) the continued improving economy will reach the "tipping point" at some point and people will put aside doubts about Bush to vote their wallets; and b) that Iraq will continue to improve and be a non-issue.

However, I caution all of you who criticize the Rove strategy (whatever it is): This man has NEVER lost an election (for his candidate) going back to Bush's 1st Texas gubernatorial run through 2002, if you count the 2002 mid-term elections. So sell Rove short is a bad mistake that Ann Richards and Al Gore and Tom Daschle all made.

[lepton]

With the way the Bush team is campaigning, these GOP Senate candidates are going to be on their own.

As I understand, a lot of the fundraisers he'd been doing early-on have been for Congressmen.

[section9]

I would have agreed with you, except that Kerry's lack of a huge bounce has indicated to Bush that he should get into the game and keep Kerry on the defensive. Bush is campaigning. His job is to keep charging at Kerry throughout this month and through the Convention to make sure that whatever bounce that Lurch does get stays within five points.

I understand your frustration, but please understand that Kerry's people and the media have engaged in a nonstop propaganda effort since February. Bush should be ten points back, not even.

But he is even, and things have a way of turning his way in the fall of every year.

Believe me, Bush has plenty of cards to play. Kerry has played his in picking the Ken Doll. In the long run, this will not have proven to be a wise choice.

Be Seeing You,

Chris