Bush Follows Dems to S.C.

WASHINGTON – For the second consecutive week, President Bush (search) will be popping up in a state where Democrats have been bashing him during a presidential primary campaign. This time, it's South Carolina.

Just as he did this week in New Hampshire, Bush will wait until two days after the Democrats have cleared out before he visits. The official reason for his trip is to discuss his anti-terrorism agenda.

As in New Hampshire, South Carolina is a state where residents have heard weeks of bitter criticism of Bush.

At the Democratic debate in Greenville on Thursday, for instance, Sen. John Edwards (search) of North Carolina said, "A president has to be able to walk and chew chewing gum at the same time." He was arguing that Bush has concentrated on the war on terrorism at the expense of domestic needs.

Bush easily won South Carolina in 2000.

It is also a state where Edwards is expected to run strong, and many White House officials believe Edwards could be a tough challenger to Bush because of the Democrat's appeal in the South.

By visiting only South Carolina, Bush is bypassing several other electoral battleground states with primaries Tuesday, including Arizona, New Mexico and Missouri.

Bush already has visited all three states this month.