Bush tries out new media strategy in Chicago

By Steve Holland

CHICAGO (Reuters) – President George W. Bush, seeking to
improve his standing among Americans and bolster Republican
chances in November elections, argues his causes in the U.S.
Midwest on Friday as part of a new media strategy.

At Chicago’s Museum of Science and Technology, Bush holds a
midmorning news conference in which he will take questions from
regulars in the White House press corps as well as Chicago
media.

The Iraq war and high gasoline prices have combined to
weigh down Bush’s job approval ratings, which have risen a bit
in recent weeks but are still around 40 percent, which experts
consider a danger zone for fellow Republicans seeking to
maintain control of Congress this year.

On the economic front, Bush may have some good news to crow
about, with monthly employment numbers to be released and some
analysts predicting a big 368,000-job gain in the private
sector in June.

On foreign policy, Bush was likely to face questions about
North Korea’s missile launches, Iran’s nuclear ambitions and
attempts to stabilize Iraq.

White House officials said Bush’s Chicago stop, which
included a dinner with Mayor Richard Daley and local leaders on
Thursday night, was the first in a series of similar trips he
would make around the country in coming months.

They will allow him to spend more time in a city than his
usual quick pace of giving a speech and leaving.

White House officials denied a political motive in the new
strategy but said Bush wanted a chance to take his case to
Americans about his policies.

“These trips are good for the president, getting out of the
(Washington) Beltway, talking to people about their lives,
hearing their stories, being able to share ideas with local
leaders. That’s something that he likes to do, and he’ll do
more of it,” said White House spokesman Tony Snow.

With his image in disrepair, Bush undertook a retooling of
his White House staff a couple of months ago and his
communications team is trying to expose the president to more
questions from reporters.

While Bush has taken questions on many occasions, he has
held only 23 formal, solo White House news conferences, far
fewer than his recent predecessors.