EWARK - Texas Governor George W. Bush, reaching out to women and political moderates, kept up his focus on education yesterday and suggested that support for abortion rights would not necessarily disqualify any potential running mate.
Bush, the expected Republican presidential nominee, toured a charter school that he said showed how his proposal for alternatives to failing schools could work. New Jersey Governor Christie Whitman, mentioned by some as a possible vice presidential choice, accompanied him.
While saying he had not made any running mate lists, Bush spoke warmly of Whitman when reporters asked about her chances, even though he opposes abortion and she favors abortion rights.
''Good people can disagree on the issue, and I understand that and I'm standing here with a friend of mine,'' Bush said after he and Whitman toured the North Star Academy, an inner-city charter school with a 700-child waiting list.
''We disagree on some aspects of the issue,'' Bush added. ''That doesn't mean we can't be pulling for the same thing, being on the same team, and I respect Governor Whitman's views and I respect her as a person.''
Bush's comments on abortion and his focus this week on education were part of his move back toward the political center after a bitter Republican primary campaign in which some analysts believe he moved too far right. On Tuesday, Bush rolled out a $5 billion reading initiative. Today in Wisconsin, Bush plans to promote teacher recruiting and retraining.
Bush started his day yesterday by having breakfast with Archbishop Theodore McCarrick, the Roman Catholic head in Newark. During the primary campaign, Bush was criticized for speaking at Bob Jones University, a South Carolina school whose leaders have embraced anti-Catholic views.
Steve Salmore, a Republican political analyst from New Jersey, said Whitman would be an unlikely choice for Bush because her pro-abortion rights views could inflame internal conflict.
''She has become a symbol for many people of the pro-choice Republicans. I think it would make that issue a major issue of division at the convention, and I don't think George Bush needs that,'' Salmore said.
