Bush urges GOP conservatives to support presumed nominee

WASHINGTON - Without naming John McCain, President Bush marshaled the conservative wing of the Republican Party yesterday to back the presumed GOP presidential nominee for the upcoming battle against the Democratic Party.

"The stakes in November are high. This is an important election. Prosperity and peace are in the balance," Bush told about 2,000 people attending the Conservative Political Action Conference. "So with confidence in our vision and faith in our values, let us go forward, fight for victory and keep the White House in 2008."

Bush spoke to a boisterous crowd that erupted in cheers when someone shouted "Are there conservatives in the house?" When the president walked on stage, they clapped and chanted, "Four more years! Four more years!"

"We have had good debates, and soon we will have a nominee who will carry a conservative banner into this election and beyond," Bush said. "I'm absolutely confident that with your help, we will elect a person who shares our principles."

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NORFOLK, Va. - On his first full day as the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, John McCain fended off discussion of specific potential running mates and picked up the endorsement of former rival Fred Thompson.

"I don't want to in any way sidestep the candidacy of Governor Huckabee," McCain told reporters here before flying off to Wichita, Kan., and Seattle. "He's in this race, and for me to dismiss him would be inappropriate and unrealistic."

Since McCain's chief rival, Mitt Romney, suspended his campaign Thursday, some party figures and commentators have suggested McCain might select Mike Huckabee as a vice presidential nominee to benefit from the Arkansas governor's proven appeal in the South, where McCain has less support.

"From a practical standpoint, I think former President Clinton and Vice President Gore showed us you don't have to be regionally different," McCain said.

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The Republicans have a presumptive presidential nominee, the Democrats are down to the final two, but fans of Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York are still hoping he jumps in as an independent alternative.

A draft Bloomberg committee urged supporters yesterday to sign an online petition urging him to run. Bloomberg, however, has sounded less interested recently in getting in the race.

"Bloomberg has about 10 days left to make a decision whether to run or not; the people have about 10 days left to encourage him to run," said Doug Bailey, a committee leader and Republican, citing fast-approaching deadlines to get on the ballot in key states.

FOON RHEE

Mike Huckabee, trying to stave off what appears the inevitable, used an argument in Kansas yesterday that Mitt Romney tried to use against front-runner John McCain - that Washington is broken and that McCain is a creature of Washington.

Huckabee didn't name McCain, but said longtime Washington politicians have failed to solve the problems that Americans care about. "If they could have fixed it, they should have fixed it," he told a rally in Wichita.

Huckabee also introduced the argument that he would be the more effective Republican nominee against Hillary Clinton, if she wins the Democratic nod, because he won four elections in Arkansas against "the Clinton political machine."

Kansas Republicans caucus today. But Kansas offers 36 delegates, and McCain has a 500-plus delegate lead over Huckabee.

FOON RHEE

WASHINGTON - President Clinton said he's learned a valuable lesson from the dustup over his remarks on the campaign trail: He can promote his wife's presidential candidacy, but he's not free to defend her.

Clinton also said that everything he said in South Carolina about Barack Obama was "factually accurate," but a lot that has been said about what he said is "factually inaccurate."

"I think I can promote Hillary but not defend her because I was president. I have to let her defend herself or have someone else defend her," he said in an interview with NBC News as he was campaigning in Portland, Maine, on Thursday.

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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Three days after New Mexico voted, Democratic officials offer apologies and finger-pointing - but have no winner. Hillary Clinton holds a slight lead, but the state is still counting 17,000 provisional ballots given to voters because of long lines and a shortage of ballots.

All that's really at stake are bragging rights to another popular vote victory. One delegate hangs in the balance.

Based on results, Clinton has 13 delegates, and rival Barack Obama has 12. The popular vote winner will get another one. With nearly 140,000 votes counted so far, Clinton holds a roughly 1,100-vote lead over Obama.

Democratic Party officials, who ran the election, warn that the count could last well into next week, right up until Friday, the day they have to certify the results. It took until late Thursday for the Clinton and Obama camps to agree on a process for tallying provisional votes.

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NEW YORK - Hillary Clinton admits her fashion sense is not nearly as sharp as her political instincts in the latest issue of Us Weekly that hit news stands yesterday.

Clinton pokes a rare bit of fun at herself, playing along as the celebrity magazine explores some of her more noteworthy fashion disasters over the years.

In a four-page photo spread titled "My Worst Outfit Ever," she tries to explain some of her more questionable wardrobe selections.

Take the gigantic, multicolored coat she's shown wearing during her first Senate campaign in 2000. "I'm a big believer in recycling - even carpets!" Clinton explained.

Clinton, 60, has generally won points for style on the campaign trail, matching figure-flattering designer pantsuits with conservative jewelry.

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