Bush Re-election Campaign Kicks Off

George W. Bush's campaign for re-election starts airing its first round of TV ads this week, PR Week reports. Campaign press secretary Scott Stanzel "denied reports that sinking poll numbers led the President to change strategy, abandoning an earlier plan to remain politically 'above the fray' until later this year," PR Week writes. "There's been lots of speculation, but we've always indicated that we were anxious for a debate once the race narrowed to two people," Stanzel told PR Week. "We were always aware of the timeline for the Democratic nominating process, and, ultimately, it's up to the President to decide when to engage." The campaign also has network of "five regional spokesmen, all based at campaign headquarters in Northern Virginia, who handle media inquiries; a rapid-response team charged with countering negative attacks; and a 'surrogate' team that finds guests to appear on the President's behalf on television shows, radio programs, and internet chats," PR Week reports. Stanzel, formerly of the White House Office of Media Affairs, reports to campaign director of communications Terry Holt.