Bush's Charleston trip to focus on homeland security

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Although the White House is billing the noontime speech as strictly non-political, it comes two days after South Carolina's ballyhooed Democratic presidential preference primary.

A week ago, two days after the Democrats' New Hampshire primary, Bush headed there for a major address.

In both primaries, he was the target of months of attacks from Democratic Party candidates.

Bush is betting on a strategy focused on defense, positioning himself as the man who will make Americans feel secure and hoping that will trump Democrats' criticism on Iraq and the economy.

Warren Tompkins, a Columbia political consultant and Bush's Southeastern strategist, said the fact that the president has just released 2005 budget proposals heavily emphasizing defense and homeland security is "wise and prudent."

"I'm just glad he picked South Carolina," Tompkins said. "Anything that can be done to highlight the positive nature of the port is good for the state."

Bush's homeland security policies were sharply attacked in South Carolina by Democratic front-runner John Kerry who questioned the adequacy of port security when he formally declared his candidacy aboard the decommissioned aircraft carrier Yorktown in Charleston harbor last fall.

No political events will be involved in Bush's brief trip, said Katon Dawson, state Republican Party chairman.

Joe Erwin, his Democratic counterpart, said he welcomed any discussion of South Carolina issues.

Tucker Eskew, a Greenville native who headed the White House's Office of Global Communications until recently, was dispatched to South Carolina this week for strategy sessions with party leaders. Eskew operates a consulting firm and is a senior surrogate for the president.

Eskew said the talks involved the fall campaign "and the immediate challenge of getting the president's upbeat record of success through some of the fog machine that's been cranked up by a very angry, pessimistic party on the other side."

Dan Hoover covers politics and can be reached at 298-4883.