Naked City

After a few false starts, George W. Bush turned to his strengths -- money and organization -- and they carried him to a resounding victory over John McCain Tuesday night. Bush's wins in California, New York, Maryland, Missouri, Maine, Ohio, Minnesota, and Georgia give him a commanding lead in the delegate race, with some 633 delegates, compared to 229 for McCain. It takes 1,034 delegates to become the GOP nominee.

On Tuesday morning, nearly 12 hours before he gave his victory speech in a packed Four Seasons Hotel ballroom, a confident Bush was already spoiling for a fight with Al Gore. He told a throng of reporters at a press conference at the Texas Capitol that he would attack Gore early and often on campaign fundraising issues. Bush said Gore "must have forgotten that he went to a Buddhist temple four years ago to raise money for the Democratic National Committee." And he reminded reporters that Gore associate Maria Hsia was convicted recently of breaking federal fundraising laws.

Bush will attack Gore for his ties to President Bill Clinton. But that strategy carries some risk. During his victory speech, Bush brought up the "status quo" issue twice. The problem is that right now, the status quo is pretty good. The economy has never been stronger, and unemployment is near record lows. So Bush will have to convince voters to ignore the good economy and focus on the malfeasance of the Clinton administration. It may be a difficult task.

Shortly after Bush's speech, the campaign's chief strategist, Karl Rove, told reporters that Bush will emphasize education, particularly in his appeals to Latino voters in California, a state the campaign has targeted in their bid for the White House. "Bush can win the White House without winning California," said Rove. "Gore can't."

Next week, Bush will really show his political muscle when the primary battleground shifts to the South, where his constituency is strongest. Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Mississippi all have primaries next Tuesday, with 340 delegates at stake. Before that, Bush will attempt to sweep Friday's contests in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming, where a total of 91 delegates are at stake.