George W. Survives a Weird 'n' Wacky Am-Bush

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune may have gotten a little weird for George W. Bush Thursday night, as fellow Republican presidential candidates cast him as a blend of Marie Antoinette and a Southern plantation owner — all in the course of a genteel policy exchange. Blue-blood publisher Steve Forbes led the charge, accusing the Texas governor of "betraying" Americans with his tax plan and proposals to consider raising the retirement age. Then arch-conservative Alan Keyes wrapped his criticism of the Bush tax plan in an out-of-left-field race reference to "Massah Bush." And the picture of an uncaring aristocrat was completed by Senator Orrin Hatch's charge that Dubya's Web site was "not user-friendly." (The Hatch campaign may want to consider rallying the netizenry behind the slogan "No Taxation Without Navigation.")

Rather than mix it up, leading candidates Bush and Senator John McCain exchanged pleasantries and compliments, remaining in a clinch rather than throwing punches. Although the repeated challenges about his experience in governing and foreign policy had Bush testily chanting phrases from his stump speech, his opponents failed to provoke either a gaffe or a temperamental outburst. Meanhile, McCain deflected jabs about his reported temper with humorous, self-deprecating quips ("You know, a comment like that really makes me mad.") Outside the arena, the news for Bush was less good. Although Bush has reined in a lot of McCain's lead, his hopes of winning the New Hampshire primary took a hit Thursday when the Manchester Union Leader, the conservative newspaper which wields considerable influence among the state's Republican voters, labeled the Texas governor "a nice guy but an empty suit with no philosophical underpinning," and endorsed Steve Forbes. But even if Granite State conservatives have passed the pitchfork to Forbes, the state looks unlikely to give him the same upset victory it gave Buchanan in 1996. Score this round a draw.