Bush gets some good news

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

WASHINGTON, FEB. 28. The Republican front-runner for the Presidential elections, Mr. George Bush received some good news over the weekend. The 26 delegates from the American territories of Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam and Puerto Rico endorsed him for the party nomination this August. This is some solace for the Texas Governor who knows that the islanders can take part in the primaries but cannot vote for him in the Presidential elections to be held on November 7.

Mr. Bush must derive satisfation, particularly from the 90 per cent plus endorsement from Puerto Rico, where nearly four million Spanish speakers who are all American citizens overwhelmingly favour Statehood. The Texas Governor is in favour of Statehood. Above all, the solid endorsement of Puerto Rico is being seen as the first indication of the Hispanic mood in the country. Mr. Bush is seen as having the backing of the Hispanic population, not only in his own State but is making some headway in other States where this community has a large population, like in California.

The ``sweep'' of the primaries in the islands over the weekend meant that Mr. Bush can now take his delegates' total to 93, or just three short of what his main rival, Mr. John McCain has. Both Mr. Bush and Mr. McCain are looking to November 29 when the Republicans will hold their primaries in Virginia, the State of Washington and North Dakota. For Mr. Bush, a strong showing in these States a week before Super Tuesday on March 7 will help. But the Texas Governor is finding that the ride is not going to be smooth at all. For instance, Mr. Bush was at one time leading Mr. McCain by at least 25 percentage points in Virginia. Now that lead is down to 11 per cent. Still, with the Republican Governor in Virginia and the establishment behind him, the Texas Governor hopes that he can bag the 55 delegates in that State.

That the race has really become intense within the Republican Party can be seen in the fashion the two major candidates are going about their business. For the Texas Governor, the time has come to go on the offensive against his opponent, even if this meant reversing a little what he had said earlier. For instance, Mr. Bush had said he was not going to apologise for what he did on the campaign. But in a letter to the religious leader of some 2.5 million Catholics, Mr. Bush said he regretted his appearance at Bob Jones University in South Carolina - a school whose leaders have criticised the Pope and called the Catholic Church a ``Satanic cult''. Civil rights activists also pounced on Mr. Bush for making an appearence at a school that prohibits inter-racial dating on its campus.

``I should have been more clear in dissociating myself from anti- Catholic sentiments and racial prejudice. It was a missed opportunity causing needless offence which I deeply regret,'' Mr. Bush said in a letter to Cardinal John O'Connor. But he also lashed out at the McCain camp for seizing the opportunity to place calls pointing out the anti-Catholic credentials of Bob Jones University. Initially, the McCain camp denied making the calls but now the candidate himself says that he approved the strategy. But Mr. McCain says that the calls never said Mr. Bush was a bigot.

``This is a man(a reference to Senator McCain) who says he talks the straight talk...The campaign of pitting one religion against another has got to end. Senator McCain, when given the chance to set the record straight on who did it, could'nt come to the truth,'' Mr.Bush remarked. Political analysts say the perception of how Mr. Bush won in South Carolina - with the help of the religious right - may have had an impact in Michigan and could continue to pose problems for the Texas Governor in multi- racial States like New York and California on March 7.

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Section  : International
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