Oh, come now ... the Africa trip may have had political objectives? From Yahoo / USAToday:

President Bush's five-nation trip to Africa last week was part of his subtle courtship of black Americans, a political constituency seldom wooed by Republican presidents ...

... The president's political strategists believe the trip will ease some of the mistrust black Americans have toward Bush. A USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll taken June 27-29 found 31% of blacks approve of the job Bush is doing.

Dukakis makes this argument in BusinessWeek Online, and you may read it here. Oh, and he likes Kerry. For the impatient, here's a taste:

Q: But surely this will be an uphill struggle, won't it?

A: I don't mean Bush is easy pickings. He's going to be tough, and they're going to work like hell to stay in [office]. For one thing, he has 300 gazillion dollars. But all I can tell you is that a guy who was at 44% on reelect the week before he invaded Iraq -- assuming this Middle Eastern situation continues to be bogged down -- has problems and is beatable. But not by everybody. That's why I think John [Kerry] is so compelling.

The Bush campaign has named lobbyist and Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs fellow Vin Weber a regional leader for the election push. He will coordinate campaign efforts in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and Nebraska, "monitoring public opinion, coordinating campaign efforts and organizing presidential election visits." From The Minnesota Daily, dontcha' know.

Peter Savodnik has an analysis in The Hill ("the Newspaper for and about the U.S. Congress") of the role Social Security will play in the 2004 election, especially as it relates to Bush. Bottom line: it will be a major campaign theme.

A source close to the president’s reelection campaign said Bush will run “big time” on revamping the Social Security system, a longstanding conservative goal.

From Yahoo / AP:

The American people are increasingly disenchanted with President Bush (news - web sites)'s effort in turning around the economy and solving the nation's health care woes, but that discontent isn't translating into a boost for any of his Democratic rivals, says a poll released Tuesday.

Bush's approval ratings stood at 60 percent in the survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, a significant drop from his 74 percent rating on April 9, the day the 40-foot statue of Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) fell in Baghdad and U.S. commanders said the Iraqi ruler's reign had ended ...

... On another critical domestic issue for the Democrats — the economy — unhappiness with Bush's effort to revive the economy has increased from 53 percent in May to 62 percent.

That's the question posed in this commentary from Douglas Harbrecht at MSNBC. A taste:

A year truly is a lifetime in politics. As this year plays out, especially if the Democrats can cull a credible challenger, by the campaign’s official opening on Labor Day 2004 the issue of Bush being reelected could be a lot closer than people realize today. The key question is whether he’ll still have Joe and Jane Voter thinking, “He’s trying to do a good job. Leave him alone.”

From Forbes:

George W. Bush won the 2000 U.S. presidential election by a razor thin margin and some economists reckon that a weakened dollar could put him back in the White House in 2004 with a comfortable victory.

On the surface, a weak dollar may not seem very relevant to Bush's re-election, but in the five Midwest states where Bush lost by slim margins to Al Gore it could make a huge difference when Americans go to the polls in 15 months.

The falling value of the dollar, which has dropped 35 percent against the euro in the last 18 months, makes goods stamped "Made in U.S.A." less expensive on the global market, boosting exports for U.S. firms that might then need to add
jobs.

From Yahoo / AP:

The National Education Association, a powerful force as the largest union in the country, has settled on campaign targets: No Child Left Behind, the sweeping school law championed by President Bush, and ousting the Republican leader.

The NEA plans to focus its considerable organizing and fund-raising power on electing a Democrat, conceding that most congressional incumbents are safe in 2004.

From Yahoo / AP:

George W. Bush's recipe for record fund raising has been honed to precision since his first campaign for Texas governor in 1994, when he raised $16 million.

Now, he is on the way to taking in a predicted $200 million or more for next year's presidential primaries, even without a GOP opponent.

From the Palm Beach Post (FL):

President George W. Bush will cart away $2.5 million from the Sunshine State today as he begins his reelection campaign in Florida with stops in Miami and Tampa.

Haunted by his near-loss here in 2000 -- a defeat that would have cost him the presidency -- Bush and his political operatives have been keeping a close watch on the state ever since ...

... This will the president's 15th visit to Florida since taking office, and certainly not his last.

From Mens News Daily / Talon News:

President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, along with First Lady Laura Bush, closed out the second quarter of 2003 campaign fundraising this week by raising $34 million toward the Bush-Cheney 2004 reelection effort.

"We're laying the groundwork for what is going to be a victory in November of 2004," Bush told a jubilant Miami crowd on June 30. The Miami speech ended a six-week campaign blitz that took him to several cities across the country, including the traditionally liberal bastions of New York City and San Francisco.