LATimes: Bush Is Set to Strike Back at Democrats [View All]

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/2004/la-na-bush7feb07,1,5584396.story?coll=la-home-headlines

President Bush is going on the offensive.

The president has just had one of the worst months of his presidency, with his approval rating skidding below 50% in the Gallup Poll for the first time. His administration is under new scrutiny over its decision to go to war in Iraq. Even his past service in the National Guard has come under attack as a Vietnam War hero leads the Democratic presidential pack.

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Bush aides have tried to downplay the bad news, pointing out that many reelected presidents started out farther down in polls at the beginning of the election year. And they suggested a drop in the approval rating, which plummeted 11 points in the past month to 49% in a recent CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll, was only natural.

"I thought it was going to happen when a Democratic nominee emerged," said Matthew Dowd, a top Bush campaign strategist. "There has been a coalescence around Kerry quickly. Both sides have strong bases. That's what we anticipated."

But until last week, Bush aides had said they expected the plunge to come somewhat later, in the spring.