Clean sweeps force Bush to get dirty
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uselections2004/story/0,13918,1150216,00.html
George Bush's decision to launch a TV advertising offensive against Democrat hopeful John Kerry shows the gloves are off well ahead of November's election
Stefano Hatfield
Tuesday February 17, 2004 You can tell George Bush is worried about John Kerry - really, really worried. He is so concerned, in fact, that he has been forced into distinctly unpresidential behaviour a full nine months before the election date.
It wasn't the appearance over the weekend of the almost inevitable rumours linking the junior senator from Massachusetts with a supposed intern. Whatever their origins, these rumours have been flatly denied by both Mr Kerry and the woman in question, who is currently in Africa.
Perhaps even more curious is the fact that the president has decided to dip into his record $100m campaign war chest so far in advance of the vote - and in an unprecedentedly aggressive and negative way for a sitting president.