POLITICAL BRIEFING

EYES ON DIXIE: Although the New Hampshire primary on Feb. 18 may determine the staying power of Patrick J. Buchanan’s challenge to President Bush’s renomination, aides to the conservative commentator reject the notion that he has committed all his resources to that New England battleground. . . . To prove the point, this week they plan to unveil campaign organizations in four Southern states--complete with paid staffs and phone banks. The states are Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Oklahoma. Organizing efforts also are under way in North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. . . . Buchanan strategists are concentrating on areas where Bush’s support was soft four years ago. They predict that hard times in much of Dixie will cut into Bush’s margin.