Bush Fundraising pitch: He's underdog

[Nambe]

Associated Press

President Bush's campaign -- expected to dwarf Democratic hopefuls by raising $200 million or more for the primaries, with no GOP rival -- is appealing for donations by portraying Bush as a fund-raising underdog who won't have enough cash to defend himself against Democratic attacks. ---

Enright (Dean spokeswoman) said it was surprising that "a guy who has portrayed himself as the fund- raising Superman" was now describing himself as an underdog.

Bush campaign spokesman Scott Stanzel defended the letter, saying the campaign expects a close race and "we're raising the resources to pay for grass-roots activities and to get the president's message out."