Dubya Gets A Little Help From Mom

Former First Lady Barbara Bush is hitting the campaign trail for her son, George W. Bush, hoping to enhance his stature among women voters, some of whom seem to prefer Vice President Al Gore.

She didn't really like talk about campaign issues, but promised, "He will be an outstanding president" The candidate's mother told jokes, spoke endearingly of her son and walked away with the crowd everywhere she went.

Barbara Bush would take no credit for winning anyone over, insisting that her daughter-in-law Laura did the work. But the 75-year-old grandmother was the true star of a "W Stands For Women" tour that began in Michigan on Wednesday and continued in Pennsylvania on Thursday.

"I thought I'd never be on the campaign trail again," she said. "But George W. is the right person at the right time to lead our country."

Appearing on ABC's Good Morning America on Thursday, the elder Mrs. Bush said she skipped the first of the three presidential debates because she was "too nervous ... not about what George would do, but I'm not very good about people criticizing unfairly my husband or my children. I think everybody knows that I'm a bad sport about that."

She said a moment during the third debate, in which Gore approached Bush as the Republican spoke, "sort of scared me." She said, "I thought he was gonna hit George."

The Bush women plan to visit a cancer center and a community college on Thursday.

In visits across Michigan, the Bush women watched children throwing water balloons at a children's science museum, checked out shops along main street in a town with many women-owned businesses, and pressed George W. Bush's case for the White House, especially among women voters.

Recent polls show Gore with a lead of three to nine percentage points among women.

"We care about educating our children. George W. had made education his number one goal," said Barbara Bush.

Later, Laura Bush took a turn at explaining why her husband appeals to women. Both said he cares about the same things women do: improving Social Security, education and Medicare.

"If you're a younger woman taking care of elderly parents ..." Laura Bush started to tell reporters in Lansing. She caught herself and laughed nervously, then turned to her mother-in-law who made a face of mock horror and said, "Never!"

The issue of abortion - one on which mother and son disagree - surfaced in Brighton, Mich., as the Bushes were peppered with questions about why women seem to prefer Gore.

"George has made the Republicans more inclusive. We had pro-life and pro-choice people speak at our convention. How many pro-life people spoke at the Democratic convention?" Barbara Bush said.

George W. acknowledged in a May interview with The Associated Press that he and his mother disagree on abortion. She has said abortion is a personal matter. He says it should be outlawed xcept for in cases of rape, incest, and when the woman's life is in danger.

Barbara Bush said she would campaign just two or three times a week through the election. "I'm 75, you're just not running all over town like you used to."

When the Bush women met up with the candidate at the airport in Detroit, George W. strode down the tarmac with his arm around his mother and holding hands with his wife.

"It's about time my mother got out on the campaign trail," Bush told reporters.