"It continues to be shocking, but it's not surprising, that this administration will exploit the war on terrorism and national security issues for their advantage if they can."

Terror Fight on G.O.P List for Election
An internal White House document outlining President Bush's re-election agenda starts with "War on terrorism (Con't)" and domestic security. It is the latest sign, critics say, that presidential advisers are seeking political gain from the Sept. 11 attacks.

The single-page sparsely worded document titled "Possible '04 Signature Issues" was discussed this month in a White House meeting led by the chief of staff, Andrew H. Card Jr., to fine-tune Mr. Bush's 2003 legislative agenda, several senior White House officials told The Associated Press.

The White House communications director, Dan Bartlett, said the list did not portend efforts to make terrorism a political centerpiece in 2004. It simply outlined a complicated set of issues Mr. Bush must confront, like terrorism, or that he wanted to put forward, like Social Security reform, Mr. Bartlett said.

"The items reflected in this particular document speak to issues which the country and this administration will be facing in the next few years, including the war on terrorism," Mr. Bartlett said. Mr. Bush has said the fight against terrorism will take years to win.

But Democrats said the document bolstered their claim that White House officials had methodically worked to politicize the fight against terrorism.

"It continues to be shocking, but it's not surprising, that this administration will exploit the war on terrorism and national security issues for their advantage if they can," said Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, who is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination

The document lists 10 issues including health care costs and access, legal reform, faith-based services, education, higher education, Social Security, taxes and immigration.

White House officials said the document was not intended to rank issues in any priority. They said it was produced by a White House aide, whom they would not identify, in an effort to make sure the 2003 and 2004 agendas did not conflict.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/29/politics/campaigns/29BUSH.html