Bush Team Prepares Ad Push

WASHINGTON, D.C. President Bush’s re-election campaign will launch its first TV ads next week, the campaign confirmed.

Under consideration are several 30-second spots that will air in battleground states such as Florida and Ohio.

“We will open the campaign by framing the race and talking about the president,” said Mark McKinnon, the Bush campaign’s media and advertising director.

Bush’s campaign manager Ken Mehlman said on Sunday that the team originally planned to wait until the spring to begin television ads but the president’s drop in opinion polls combined with attacks from the Democrats prompted the campaign to move up its plans.