snippets from NY Times article....
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/09/politics/campaign/09ASSE.html?hpBut many of Mr. Bush's supporters insisted that he had made a critical connection to voters.
"He made a better connection today, period, than I'd seen before," said Michael K. Deaver, the image maker for Ronald Reagan who has on occasion advised the current administration. "I think he had his arguments down,
they didn't sound like they were rehearsed, but clearly what he believed. He basically said, `I am who I am and I'm not going to change.' And that's a great strength."
did Deaver watch the same interview as the rest of us???--------------
:puke: alert
If the response appeared tentative, Mr. Bush's campaign officials insisted it was all part of the plan,at least at this point in the campaign. "He didn't take that bit because he understands that people want a leader in Washington, they want somebody who is not going to lead by responding to polls and who is not going to engage in attack politics," said Gerald L. Parsky, the chairman of Mr. Bush's campaign in California.
Another Bush campaign adviser said the goal of the White House was not only to explain Mr. Bush's decision-making, but also to show him as more human and humble than his warrior image suggests.
The adviser said he was optimistic that the polling numbers — some of which show Mr. Bush trailing Mr. Kerry in a hypothetical election match-up by as much as seven percentage points — would improve for the president after the interview. (Officially, the Bush White House says it pays no attention to polls.)
appearantly all those umms, errs, and verbal snafus are part of the "plan"???