Bush's New Balancing Act

Can he move out of Reagan's oversize shadow?

After clinching the Republican presidential nomination in mid-March, George Bush seemed to disappear from the national stage. That low profile was fine with the cautious half of his campaign team. "The public isn't focused on the election yet," declared Bush's pollster, Robert Teeter. "This is a time for unifying the party, planning the convention, developing positions and reaching out to new groups."

But last week, prodded by his more aggressive advisers, Bush suddenly reappeared. He sat for interviews with newspapers and television networks and began slashing away at Michael Dukakis ("a very traditional liberal . . . he doesn't know much...

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