THE COMMANDING HEIGHTS

Bush aims to be out of reach by time Dems pick candidate (Judy Keen, 8/10/03, USA TODAY)

President Bush is building the earliest, most aggressive campaign organization by an incumbent president since Ronald Reagan won re-election in 1984. Bush is aiming to have such a strong head start that Democrats will have trouble catching up after they choose their nominee. [...]

What's behind Bush's strategy:

--There's plenty of money but no need to spend it now. Just 7% of what's coming in is going out, leaving the rest to blanket the nation with TV ads next year when voters are paying closer attention.

--The campaign has targeted for special attention 16-20 states that could go either way. The list will change as the race takes shape, but it includes states where Bush strategists expect to play defense (Arizona, Florida, Missouri, New Hampshire) and states won in 2000 by Democrat Al Gore that they think they can carry next year (Iowa, New Mexico, Oregon, Wisconsin). All 50 states will have county and precinct organizations.

--It is critical to keep core supporters energized and make sure they are recruiting more supporters. The GOP hopes to register 3 million new voters. Each state has a goal. There are 6 million "e-leaders" who signed up on the Internet and more than 325,000 "team leaders" accountable for organizing their communities.

Ralph Reed, Southeast regional chairman for Bush's campaign, says, "We're going to run as if this is going to be one of the closest elections in our lifetime."

Which may turn it into one of the most lop-sided instead. The important thing though will be not to make the same selfish mistake that Nixon and Reagan did, by running up their own scores in the presidential, but to bring in other Republicans along with Mr. Bush. Posted by Orrin Judd at August 12, 2003 1:41 PM