Kerry Entering Changed Landscape

After months of having to counter news reports about stagnant employment, President Bush now can promote economic figures that show 308,000 jobs were created in February -- giving his administration a boost and blunting a favorite line of attack by the Democrats.

At the same time, Kerry's low profile has allowed Republicans to freely paint the Massachusetts senator as a tax-and-spend liberal, both on the trail and in largely unanswered advertising salvos.

Some Democrats have worried openly about Kerry's strategy, saying he needs to more clearly and actively present an alternative to the Bush administration -- not to mention spend more time campaigning.

But the news for Bush has not been all good of late.

The administration has been battling criticism after testimony from Richard Clarke, the former counterterrorism chief who told the independent panel investigating the Sept. 11 attacks that the Bush White House was more interested in invading Iraq than in combating terrorism. The issue will remain on the radar this week, with national security advisor Condoleezza Rice set to testify before the commission.

Kerry campaign officials said he planned a slight shift in his economic argument this week -- but will not temper his attacks on Bush for presiding over the biggest net loss in jobs of any administration.

In an address at Washington's Georgetown University on Wednesday, Kerry will focus on fiscal responsibility, outlining how he would deal with the federal budget deficit as president.

"Fiscal responsibility is the theme of the week: Bush's runaway deficits, his dereliction of duty -- and making it clear that fiscal responsibility is not an abstract idea," one campaign official said. "It has a direct impact on economic growth and the quality of our economy."

The campaign said Sunday that Kerry was not shifting gears in response to the new employment data. After clinching the Democratic nomination for president, officials said, Kerry decided to give a series of speeches on various economic issues. Last month, he addressed tax policy and job creation in Detroit. Wednesday is fiscal responsibility. Still to come is a speech on jobs, technology and the economy of the future.