Bush Plans TV Chat to Explain His Absence in Debates

HANOVER, N.H. — Hours before his Republican rivals gather tonight for a debate, presidential hopeful George W. Bush will appear via satellite on a New Hampshire television station to explain his absence.

“He wants to explain to the people of New Hampshire why he isn’t going to be there and to answer questions that might have been asked at the debate,” Bush spokeswoman Mindy Tucker said Wednesday.

Bush, the Texas governor and front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination, is feeling the heat for missing GOP debates. He is not scheduled to join his rivals until Dec. 2.

Bush said a schedule conflict kept him from the Republicans’ initial debate last week in New Hampshire, and he says he can’t attend tonight’s event because he wants to be with his wife when she receives an alumni award from Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

Two hours before the debate’s 5 p.m. PDT kickoff, Bush will chat briefly from Dallas with the anchors of New Hampshire’s WMUR.

CNN and WMUR will broadcast tonight’s town hall meeting live beginning at 5 and will simulcast the hourlong forum on their Web sites, https://www.cnn.com and https://www.wmur.com.

Some of Bush’s rivals branded his absence from last Friday’s debate as an “insult” to the people of New Hampshire, and the criticism continued Wednesday.

“Not only is George Bush skipping a debate for the second consecutive time but he’s thumbing his nose at the people of New Hampshire,” said Dan Schnur, spokesman for Arizona Sen. John McCain, also a candidate for the GOP presidential nomination.