Ex-Bush Strategist Flips To The Other Side

A top Republican strategist who helped George W. Bush win the presidency in 2000, and keep the office in 2004, now says he can no longer support the president.

Matthew Dowd, who served as the chief campaign strategist for the president in 2004, told the New York Times that his faith in the president was misplaced.

"I really like him, which is probably why I'm so disappointed in things," Dowd told the Times, adding, "I think he's become more, in my view, secluded and bubbled in."

Citing the ongoing war in Iraq and a "my way or the highway" leadership style, Dowd said he now wishes Sen. John Kerry had won the 2004 election.

Dan Bartlett, counselor to the president, responded to Dowd's accusations on Face The Nation.

"What troubles me is that there is a perception that this president doesn't understand the difficulties of this war, and I've spent most of the last 14 years working beside this president," Bartlett said. "I know every day he wakes up, there's nothing that weighs more heavily on his mind than this conflict and the people that he's sending into it and risking their lives. He understands the consequences."

Bartlett, who called Dowd a "close friend," said the Iraq war was complicated and brought out strong emotions from everyone.

"I think he's been on a long personal journey over the past couple of years, both in his private life as well as in the politics that he participates in," Bartlett said.

When Face The Nation host Bob Schieffer asked if Bartlett was suggesting that personal problems were behind Dowd's position, Bartlett said, "No."

But then added: "As expressed in the paper, he himself has acknowledged that he was going through a lot of personal turmoil. But also he has a son who is soon to be deployed to Iraq. That could only impact a parent's mind as they think through these issues. I say that only in the sense that I know it's something that weighs heavily on him."