A "prominent Republican" told Bob Novak the other day that it might have been better for Republicans if George W. Bush had simply disappeared himself right around Labor Day. It looks like he may have been right.
Based on entries on the White House Web page, we've tried as best we can to re-create the president's campaign schedule for the two weeks leading up to Election Day. Bush visited Florida, Michigan, Indiana, Georgia, Texas, Montana, Iowa, Missouri, Colorado, Kansas, Arkansas and Texas. That's a lot of states; the candidates he backed in them might wish it had been fewer.
Oct. 24: Bush campaigned for Republican House candidate Vern Buchanan in Florida. Buchanan lost.
Oct. 26: Bush campaigned for Republican Senate candidate Mike Bouchard in Michigan. He lost. Bush also campaigned for Iowa House candidate Jeff Lamberti. The president kept calling him "Dave," but he lost, too.
Oct. 28: Bush campaigned for Republican Rep. Mike Sodrel in Indiana. He lost.
Oct. 30: Bush campaigned for Max Burns in Georgia and Shelley Sekula-Gibbs in Texas. He's losing; she lost.
Oct. 31: Bush campaigned for Mac Collins in Georgia. He's losing.
Nov. 2: Bush campaigned for Sen. Conrad Burns in Montana. He's losing.
Nov. 3: Bush campaigned for Steve King for Congress and Jim Nussle for governor in Iowa and for Sen. Jim Talent in Missouri. King won, Nussle lost, Talent lost.
Nov. 4: Bush campaigned for Rep. Marilyn Musgrave in Colorado. She won.
Nov. 5: Bush campaigned for Adrian Smith in Nebraska and Jim Ryun in Kansas. Smith won. Ryun is losing.
Nov. 6 Bush campaigned for Rick Perry in Texas and Asa Hutchinson in Arkansas. Perry won, Hutchinson lost. Bush also campaigned for Charlie Crist in Florida, but Crist ditched the president in favor of his own event at the other end of the state. Good call: He won.
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