Presidential Elections 2004

Read any good policy-wonk books lately? In the blinding blitz of presidential campaign rhetoric, it's easy to miss a retro tool of communication -- a book in the candidate's own words. Today, Democratic front-runner Howard Dean is releasing "Winning Back America" (Simon & Schuster), a statesmanlike campaign biography, just as the former Vermont governor is struggling to widen his lead over Rep. Richard A. Gephardt of Missouri and other rivals before the key Iowa caucuses on Jan. 19.

Although Sen. John F. Kerry has essentially stopped advertising, the Democratic National Committee and like-minded organizations kept the presidential candidate's mess- age on television in battleground states and spent more than twice as much as the Bush campaign during the first week of August. President Bush surged back to the airwaves after the Democratic National Convention, spending nearly $4.

Sen. John F. Kerry, sharpening his differences with President Bush on national security, accused the administration Thursday of overextending the military in Iraq and attempting to patch the problem with a "backdoor draft" that prolongs the tours of duty for thousands of soldiers.

On Tuesday, aides to Wesley K. Clark were quietly arranging for the retired general to fly home and drop out of the Democratic presidential race when he found reason to go on by eking out a win in the Oklahoma primary. He now faces another make-or-break contest in Tennessee. As this state's Tuesday primary approaches, however, Clark's campaign appears to be struggling. Staffers have given up salaries to pay for advertising. The once-positive Clark attacks rivals John F.

With polls showing most voters unhappy about President Bush's handling of the economy and divided over his course in Iraq, the president's strongest asset in the 2004 campaign has been the unwavering sense among most Americans that he is providing resolute leadership against terrorism. But two days of public testimony before the independent commission investigating the Sept.

President Bush, whose father and grandfather preceded him in attending Yale University, said Friday that he opposed special treatment in college admission for children of alumni, just as he opposed special treatment for racial and ethnic minorities. In a question-and-answer session with minority journalists, Bush said he favored programs that increased diversity in the student body, but was against quotas for minority groups, as well as so-called legacy admissions.

How can you tell whether this week's Democratic National Convention, opening today, is a success or a failure? Easy -- just watch the numbers. A good convention gives its candidate a measurable "bounce" in public opinion, like the eight percentage points Al Gore gained in Los Angeles in 2000, or the stunning 16 points Bill Clinton picked up at Madison Square Garden in 1992. A bad convention ends with no bounce at all.

This year's presidential race -- fueled by more than a million donors, including many who have never given before -- is well on its way to becoming the country's first $1-billion political campaign, experts say. The money is coming in small donations and large ones, online and in the mail, from wealthy philanthropists and immigrants who can't even vote. In part, it represents unprecedented interest in the campaign from people throughout the country.

So, how is he going to spend all that money? The question looms over the 2004 campaign like, well, an elephant, as President Bush embarks tonight on a reelection fund-raising drive that could net him $20 million by the end of June and ultimately $175 million or more -- for use between now and his expected renomination in September 2004.

Having called on Sen. John F. Kerry to explain his position on the Iraq war, President Bush on Tuesday derided Kerry's answer as disingenuous, accusing him of finding "a new nuance." The Kerry campaign responded by accusing Bush of distorting Kerry's words and resorting to desperate tactics. The exchange was the latest round in the candidates' sparring match over Iraq, an issue that repeatedly returns to center stage in the campaign. Appearing with Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.