Bush presses education agenda, raises $1.4 million

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. - George W. Bush pressed for new incentives for math and science teachers on Tuesday and raised money for Republicans in a state where he trails Al Gore.

As Bush courted West Coast voters, his communications director, Karen Hughes, suggested the FBI wasn't being aggressive enough in investigating how a bootleg tape of Bush's debate preparations ended up with Gore's campaign.

Hughes said she and other top Bush aides ''would all be happy'' to take lie-detector tests, if necessary, to prove that they did not pass along the debate tape.

Bush was to appear later Tuesday on CNN's ''Larry King Live.'' Gore was going on the same show Thursday evening.

Bush spent a second day promoting his 10-year, $47 billion education package and reiterating his claim that the nation was in the grip of an ''education recession.''

''This country needs to do something about it before it's too late,'' Bush said at a private high school.

In this community on the edge of Silicon Valley, Bush put additional emphasis on math and science.

''If American students don't lead the world in math and science, the next generation of Americans may not lead the world,'' Bush said. He cited the Third International Math and Science Study, which showed American students near the bottom among industrialized nations.

In addition to federal assistance to school districts that have programs for improving performance, Bush's education package would forgive federally backed student loans of up to $17,500 for graduates who become math or science teachers.

Bush was headlining two fund-raisers in California designed to bring $1.4 million for the state GOP.

California Republicans have vowed to avoid a repeat of 1992 and 1996, when GOP presidential candidates essentially pulled out of the state to focus on brighter prospects. That deprived local Republican candidates of support from the top of the ticket.

As a result, the state party aggressively raised money - much of it with Bush's help - and negotiated greater control over how it will be spent.

Recent polls put Gore's lead in California at 5 to 12 percentage points. California has 54 electoral votes.

At a Silicon Valley fund-riser, Bush sought to undercut Gore's portrayal of him as the guardian of the wealthy and powerful. Gore's proposed tax cut would leave out 50 million Americans, he said, ''and yet he's willing to talk about the 'rich and the powerful.'''

Bush previewed what he plans to say to Gore during the fall debates, which start Oct. 3 in Boston. ''I am going to look him square in the eye and say 'Mr. Vice President, being the vice president, you're the powerful, you squandered your moment, you had your chance, you have not led this nation and I am going to,''' Bush said.

Meanwhile, the mystery of how Bush preparation tapes were mailed to former Rep. Tom Downey, who was helping Gore with debate preparation, continued to dog the campaign.

Hughes dismissed as ''absurd'' speculation that chief campaign strategist Karl Rove might have been involved.

''That is totally ridiculous. Karl Rove has worked around the clock for years working to support Governor Bush and to elect Governor Bush as president,'' she said.

The speculation was fueled by the fact that Rove was the only member of Bush's inner circle who had not been interviewed by the FBI. However, Rove cited scheduling conflicts.

Hughes suggested the FBI pay more attention to the Gore campaign in Nashville - including the suspension of a junior Gore aide.

The Gore staffer, Michael Doyne, 28, was suspended after he acknowledged boasting in an e-mail of a ''mole'' planted in Bush's campaign. Doyne has subsequently said the ''mole'' was a product of his imagination.

''Not too many 28-year-olds make up stories about something as serious as placing a mole. They call him a young staffer. But 28 is a fairly responsible age,'' Hughes said.

In Nashville, Gore spokeswoman Kym Spell said that the inquiry was ''in the hands of professional, experienced investigators. The Gore campaign is comfortable with that. For some reason, the Bush campaign is not.''

---

EDITOR'S NOTE - Associated Press writer Laura Meckler in Washington contributed to this report.