Waking Up Is Hard To Do

It's clear that George W. Bush has had a wake-up call in the GOP race for the White House.

CBS News Correspondent Phil Jones reports the stunned candidate is dealing with his own reality check. Bush's rival, Arizona Senator John McCain, is surging in various public opinion polls -- thanks to his smashing win in the New Hampshire primary. One recent poll puts the two men in a statistical dead heat for South Carolina's GOP primary on February 19.

"The days of sitting back and smiling and letting Senator McCain define me are over," said Bush.

But it's not all McCain's fault. Bush supporters say the Texas governor and his strategists made a mistake by inhaling all that "front-runner inevitability" stuff. That's dangerous in politics.

Another problem: access. Bush aides are criticized for putting the governor in a "cocoon" -- keeping him from the press. He even skipped one New Hampshire debate.

Then there's the money. Bush raised more than $70 million, but it's hurt him in a way. Other GOP candidates for president dropped out claiming Bush had siphoned off all the money -- and it became a virtual two-man race too soon.

The Texas governor has often said of McCain, "John's a good man." But in retrospect, the Bush camp claims it should have challenged McCain "the good man."

The Arizona senator has aired a TV ad about himself that actually suggested Bush wasn't ready to be president.

"There is only one man running for president who knows the military and understands the world: John McCain." runs one line in the ad.

The Bush camp is frustrated because McCain, who's been around the nation's capitol for 17 years, is waging a campaign against Washington. His crusade is campaign finance reform -- the "straight talk express."

No, it's double talk, said Carroll Campbell, a former South Carolina governor. Campbell is on the front line trying to help Bush stop McCain in the Palmetto State.

"Now here's a guy (McCain) that heads a committee in the Congress that's had people come before his committee day in, day out -- business people and he's getting money from them," said Campbell.

"He's been on their planes, he's flown on them and he's out there with a little bit of holier than thou attitude." he added.

For McCain, the reality is South Carolina Republicans have always voted for the establishment candidate. This time, that candidate is Bush -- and it's crucial he stops McCain.

And for Bush, the reality is his fight for the GOP presidential nomination could be less about issues and more about life stories -- McCain's story as a POW, a war hero, and a maverick against Bush's story as a governor and son of a former president.