Bush Raises Money for GOP Cause, Defends Iraq Strategy

President Bush showed Friday that he remained a potent fundraiser despite his low poll ratings, bringing in more than $1 million for a GOP candidate for Senate.

Bush appeared at a $1,000-a-plate luncheon for Rep. Mark Kennedy (R-Minn.), who is running for the seat being vacated by Democratic Sen. Mark Dayton. Kennedy, the likely GOP nominee, could face any of several Democrats seeking that party’s nomination.

The president has raised about $52 million in the last year at 16 political fundraisers, said Tracey Schmitt, Republican National Committee spokeswoman.

The Minneapolis event came as one public opinion poll showed that an increasing number of Americans approved of the job Bush was doing, though his approval rating remains relatively low.

The AP-Ipsos poll found that Bush’s approval rating had risen to 42%, its highest level since the summer and up from 37% in November.

Still, 57% of respondents disapproved of Bush’s job performance. That was down from 61% in November. The poll of 1,002 adults was conducted Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and its margin of error was plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Speaking at a hotel here, Bush rejected the idea of setting a timetable for withdrawing troops from Iraq. “I think it’s the wrong policy, and so does Mark Kennedy,” he said. “A fixed timetable of withdrawal would embolden the enemy, would confuse the Iraqis, and would send the wrong signal to our young men and women in uniform.”

Bush has been trying to shore up support among the American public for the war in Iraq. He plans to give two speeches on the issue next week, in advance of Thursday elections in Iraq to choose a permanent government.

“We will defeat the terrorists in Iraq,” the president said.

“We will not let Al Qaeda take a stronghold -- get a stronghold in Iraq. We’ll help this country develop a democracy, which will send a powerful signal to people in Damascus and Tehran,” he said, referring to the capitals of Syria and Iran.

Praising Mark Kennedy, Bush said: “This is a Kennedy I can work with.” The comment was a poke at Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), who is no relation to the Minnesota candidate.

Bush and Sen. Kennedy worked closely to enact the No Child Left Behind Act early in Bush’s presidency, but they have since parted ways on a host of issues, including the Iraq war.

A White House spokesman said Bush intended to campaign actively in the coming year for GOP candidates across the U.S.