EDFORD, N.H. - Dan Halpin climbed the hill to the bright white Town Hall with a heavy heart and question for a man he admires, George W. Bush.
Halpin, a bookseller and Republican, asked the Texas governor and national frontrunner in the race for the GOP nomination how it is that he has gained the label as ''not intellectually curious.''
But rather than react defensively to yet another question about his intellectual preparedness for the presidency, Bush seized the opportunity to address a concern that continues to fester after two uneven debate performances in a week.
''I'd rather be underestimated than overestimated,'' Bush said, flashing a lopsided grin. Then, summoning the memory of his first political victory, he added: ''I've been underestimated before, and Governor Richards regrets it.''
Bush told Halpin he understands how candidates sometimes get typecast and how politics sometimes works harshly. ''I tell people what I believe and let the chips fall where they may,'' Bush said. ''The only thing I know to do is lay my record out, share my heart as best I can. I know that. That's why these town hall meetings are important for me.''
They key, Bush said, is for voters to experience his candidacy directly, without the filter of the news media, and decide for themselves if they can say, ''I trust you.''
''Or maybe you will think, the guy's got a nice mother, but maybe he can't hack it,'' he acknowledged, to a round of laughter.
In New Hampshire for a swing through Bedford, Manchester, and Nashua, Bush attributed the criticism he has encountered on anonymous adversaries who ''sort of float stuff out.''
''Remember when I first got going here?'' Bush asked. ''They said, `I don't care about New Hampshire.' I said, `I'm coming. I've got a job to do as governor, and I'm also running a national campaign.'
''People said, `He really doesn't want to come to our state that much,' and then they said, `He's not really saying anything.' And now they're not saying that. And now they're saying, you know, `Not smart enough,''' Bush recounted.
''As I said, I'd rather be underestimated,'' he concluded.
The room full of predominantly older citizens rewarded Bush with sustained applause and nodding heads. Seated on folding metal chairs, the audience was clearly supportive throughout the 45 minutes in which Bush delivered his standard stump speech and then answered eight questions.
The central theme for this latest visit by Bush to the first-in-the-nation primary state was his economic plan - plan he says will spur growth and help fledgling companies, such as those in the Granite State's burgeoning software industry. Accompanying him on the campaign trail yesterday were two stars of the computer world, James Barksdale, the former chief executive of Netscape, and Jesse Devitte, chairman of the New Hampshire Software Association.
But everywhere he went, Bush felt compelled to let his audience know he has what it takes.
''I know it's a big step going from governor of Texas to president,'' he said here in Bedford. ''I know that. But I've had some pretty good training.''
Recent opinion polls make it clear that Senator John McCain of Arizona is surging in New Hampshire. A Globe-WBZ-TV poll last week found that McCain has gained 20 points in support since late August, though Bush retains a respectable lead. Other polls show Bush slightly ahead or put the two in a statistical tie, though one new survey, released yesterday by the American Research Group, suggested that McCain may actually have pulled ahead.
Also a testament to McCain's surge is the fact that Bush was holding a town hall meeting, rather than one of his usual fire station chats, the smaller sessions with voters he has stressed to date.
After the Bedford event, Halpin pronounced himself content with his decision to support Bush.
Would he still vote for Bush in the primary? ''Absolutely,'' Halpin said. ''Not a shadow of a doubt.''
