USTIN - George W. Bush may have finally agreed to next week's debate in Boston, but his campaign is scheduling as little time in the city as possible - confirming yesterday he will not even spend the night.
Bush, who has made no secret of his disdain for the liberal establishment of his business school alma mater, Harvard, had tentatively planned to stay over Monday night. But those plans are now off, and campaign officials do not expect that to change between now and Oct. 3.
''I think it's obvious: This is so we can maximize time spent in battleground states,'' Bush spokesman Ari Fleischer said.
Fleischer declined to say which battleground states are on the schedule.
Vice President Al Gore, meanwhile, is planning an overnight stay in Boston on Oct. 3 after the debate, campaign officials said.
''We're looking forward to being in Massachusetts for the debate and spending the night in Boston,'' said Gore spokesman Doug Hattaway, who, as a Cambridge resident, admitted a personal interest in the arrangement.
Massachusetts is considered such a long shot for Bush that he has not set foot in the state since June, focusing his New England resources instead on New Hampshire and Maine. During the primaries, the Texas governor suffered an overwhelming defeat there to John S. McCain, as thousands of Democrats switched registration to vote for the Arizona senator.
Bush has since displayed an almost allergic reaction to Boston, initially rejecting next week's debate in part because of its affiliation with the John F. Kennedy Library, an institution with obvious Democratic ties. But his aides have also said his reluctance to spend time there is logical, given that he has virtually no chance of winning the state on Nov. 7.
