US President George W. Bush today formally - and quietly - launched his 2004 re-election bid, filing papers that enable him to raise money for the campaign, the White House said.
Mr Bush, through an aide, filed papers with the Federal Election Commission "so that the structure around which a campaign will eventually be built can begin to take place," said spokesman Mr Ari Fleischer.
A personal statement by the president "will happen sometime substantially down the road; no time soon," he added.
Mr Bush has already selected a handful of top aides, designating White House political director Mr Ken Mehlman as campaign manager and the former US ambassador to Switzerland and Lichtenstein, Mr Mercer Reynolds, as finance chairman.
The broad outlines of his campaign themes have already largely emerged: the need for constant vigilance to shore up national security, and what aides call "economic security," namely efforts to revive the ailing US economy.
Mr Bush hopes to avoid the fate of his father, former president Mr George Bush, who won a war against Iraq but lost his bid for a second four-year term on the perception he cared too little about pocketbook issues.
The Republican president had long been expected to run for re-election: Last November, he said publicly that he hoped Vice President Dick Cheney would again be his running mate.
Many observers viewed Mr Bush's recent speech aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, in which he declared military victory in Iraq, as the unofficial launch of his campaign for a second four-year term.
So far, nine Democrats have lined up to seek their party's nomination to run for president, enabling Mr Fleischer to use the time-honored tactic of portraying the incumbent as far above mere politics.
"They seem to be spending a lot of time dealing with each other, while this president is focused on economic security and national security," the spokesman said.
Mr Bush, whose campaign headquarters will be in nearby northern Virginia, may take part in a fund-raising event as early as next month, he said.
AFP