Feeling Good, Bush Strikes
Trying to slow Al Gore's momentum and overcome discouraging polls, George W. Bush stepped up his attacks on his Democratic rival and accused him of engaging in “A disturbing pattern of embellishments and sudden reversals.”
“My opponent has unfortunately spent the week misleading Americans,” Bush told a meeting of Pennsylvania Republicans via satellite as he wrapped up two days of Florida campaigning on Saturday.
“He started by making up numbers for his mother-in-law's prescription drug costs, numbers he later admitted weren't true. He then talked about a lullaby he says his parents sang to him as a baby — only problem is, it wasn't written until he was 27,” Bush said.
He also assailed Gore on energy policy, his relations with the entertainment industry, and the relative costs of arthritis medicine for humans and dogs.
CBS News Correspondent Bill Whitaker reports rising oil prices and a faltering stock market could prove the political kiss of death for the vice president. Bush sees the oil crunch as Gore’s Achilles heel and he’s been hitting it hard.
Bush jumped on Gore saying, ”he used to be against taking petroleum out of the strategic petroleum reserve, but now that we’re getting close to the election, he wants to make a political decision necessary to save his political skin.”
The attacks — among Bush's harshest on Gore yet — came as the Texas governor ended what his campaign viewed as one his strongest weeks since the party conventions.
It was marked by few mistakes, well-received appearances on the popular Oprah Winfrey and Regis Philbin daytime talk shows, a shift back to basic issues and well-attended, enthusiastic rallies. At the same time, Gore appeared to be having trouble holding his post-convention momentum.
“It's been a strong, substantive week,” Bush spokeswoman Karen Hughes told reporters aboard the candidate's plane. “I'd like to add a few adjectives, if I might,” Bush chimed in.
But despite these outward shows of optimism, Republican strategists remained disappointed in state and national polls showing he and Gore close both nationally and in states like Arizona, North Carolina and Florida that Republicans once believed were locked up.
Bush and Gore are in a tight race in Florida., where the Texas governor once was far ahead in the polls.
Jeb Bush, the candidate's brother and governor of Florida, told reporters he was under no illusion that he could easily deliver Florida — despite its recent tendency to vote Republican in state and national elections. Clinton won here four years ago.
Florida — and its 25 Electoral College votes — is the fourth largest prize in the race and was not supposed to be this tough for Bush. But Gore, who Monday makes his fourth visit to the state since the Democratic convention lasmonth, has turned it into a horse race with the Nov. 7 election 45 days away.