Globe exposes risks in Rove's strategy

[Rose Siding]

Strategy of attack carries risk in swing states

.....But political scientists note that while Bush's campaign strategy might help fire up supporters in regions of the country where he is popular, it might not be having as powerful an effect in all-important battleground states, such as Florida and Ohio.

One reason is that Kerry hasn't always looked like the caricature Bush has described. And real-world events keep intruding on Bush's portrayal of the world, leaving the president open to charges of being out of touch.

"Bush and his team understood early this year that Bush would not be reelected if the election became a thumbs-up or a thumbs-down on him," said Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics. "They had to do something that never has been done to this extent before, really. They had to make this election a referendum on the challenger. Whether it works, of course, we won't know until Election Day."

Amid troubling poll numbers in some of the nation's biggest swing states, Bush has barely strayed from the strategy put in place by his top political adviser, Karl Rove. Aides have promised a series of "significant" speeches in recent days, but the president's stump speech has been retooled only to make his attacks on Kerry sharper and his defense of his own record stronger....

http://www.boston.com/news/politics/president/bush/articles/2004/10/28/strategy_of_attack_carries_risk_in_swing_states/

It's remarkable that more and more, in addition to reporting Bush's remarks, reporters are actually challenging them. Good press for Kerry and a good sign, I think.