FRANK SESNO, CNN ANCHOR: To campaign 2000 now and the presidential primary push. Candidates have descended on New Hampshire, with the vote, there, less than two weeks away, and for many, it's Iowa as well. Caucasuses there set for just around the corner, Monday. CNN's Jeanne Meserve is on the trail.</s>JEANNE MESERVE, CNN ANCHOR: Texas Governor George W. Bush is taking a more aggressive stance towards his opponent, Senator John McCain, but today he's going to have to answer charges from McCain that he is engaging in negative campaigning. McCain is upset about a new bush advertisement which repeats a charge Bush made on the campaign trail, yesterday. He says that McCain's tax proposal would eliminate deductions for some employee benefits, the price tag to taxpayers $40 billion. McCain's campaign says it isn't true, that it's a scare tactic and that Bush is violating his pledge not to engage in negative campaigning. On a lighter note, Bush appeared last night at the New Hampshire baseball dinner with, among others, former Red Sox great Ted Williams. He engaged in a little fantasy about having Yogi Berra as a member of his campaign team.</s>GOV. GEORGE W. BUSH (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I thought what I probably ought to do is to reach back in the history of baseball and get one of the great baseball minds to join my campaign. It could make a huge difference. I mean, the person that I'm thinking about naming to be my chairman could occupy all kinds of positions. For example, he could be a press spokesman. After all, it was Yogi Berra who said, I really didn't say everything I said.</s>MESERVE: Bush leaves New Hampshire for Iowa, this afternoon, ceding this turf to John McCain temporarily, at least, but Bush is hopeful that a good showing in Iowa will help him here. Jeanne Meserve, CNN, Salem, New Hampshire.
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