Contenders' game of double-dare

BY GLENN THRUSH | Newsday Washington Bureau

September 21, 2006

WASHINGTON - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign is daring President George W. Bush to stump in New York for her Republican opponent - joking that Clinton would even consider paying for Bush's airfare if he stumped in Dubya-phobic Gotham.

In an interview airing this weekend on WNBC-TV, Clinton's Republican challenger John Spencer said he'd welcome the president's presence, arguing that Clinton's "vitriolic attacks" on Bush's Iraq policy have been "helpful to the enemy."

When Spencer was asked if he wanted to stump with Bush, the former Yonkers mayor said, "Absolutely. Absolutely, I would. ... I would welcome President Bush."

That prompted Clinton spokesman Howard Wolfson to quip, "We might consider paying for that ourselves."

White House spokeswoman Emily Lawrimore responded, "There are a number of places we're confident that Republican candidates would be willing to pay for Hillary to campaign."

Lawrimore wouldn't say if Bush planned an anti-Hillary swing, adding that he would consider campaigning for Spencer "as his schedule allows."

Bush's approval rating is hovering around 25 percent in blue-state New York; Clinton's in-state approvals are around 60 percent, recent polls show.

In the first few days of the general election campaign, Clinton hasn't taken aim at Spencer directly. She has had Wolfson, who has repeatedly characterized him as a negative campaigner, respond to his statements.

In his interview, Spencer dismissed such talk as "totally false," adding, "I do not engage in personal attacks. I'm debating Senator Clinton on her record."