Bush reaches out to McCain supporters, other longtime Republicans

WASHINGTON - George W. Bush is looking outside his Texas circle for advice from supporters of his father and Sen. John McCain in response to talk that his White House bid is directed by aides untested by national politics.

A senior adviser to the Texas governor said, however, that Bush's presidential campaign would remain Austin-based, steered by top aides Karl Rove, Karen Hughes and Joe Allbaugh.

As he has in the past, Bush will seek advice from senior party members, the official said on condition of anonymity.

The campaign is reaching out to more than two-dozen volunteers, including three key members of McCain's failed bid for the GOP nomination: campaign manager Rick Davis and Republican veterans Kenneth Duberstein and Vin Weber.

The group also includes Mary Matalin, deputy manager of Bush's father's 1992 campaign; Charles Black, who advised on the White House bids of Bob Dole and Phil Gramm; former Republican National Committee Chairman Haley Barbour; former Rep. Bill Paxon of New York and Ed Gillespie, former adviser to House Majority Leader Dick Armey of Texas.

The officials will be charged with funneling suggestions and information back to Austin, the official said. They will head working groups that will focus on matters ranging from Vice President Al Gore's vulnerabilities to the GOP convention.

Bush has sought help from many of these advisers before. In a Feb. 10 conference call that included Barbour and Black, for example, Allbaugh sought advice and tried to calm the jitters of Republican Party members who had grown concerned about McCain's surge in the GOP primaries.

McCain dropped out of the Republican race after Bush trounced him on Super Tuesday, but the Texas governor still has been buffeted by criticism that his Texas advisers are inexperienced.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich went public with the criticism this week, saying Bush's team ''still has a little bit of Austin in their style'' and is ''not quite up to speed yet'' in running a national campaign.