Bush raises $2 million in Florida, South Carolina

By DEB RIECHMANN Associated Press Writer CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) - President Bush worked to allay fears about the financial crisis on Friday then left the White House and headed south to raise nearly $2 million for the Republican Party in South Carolina and the battleground state of , who has taken a hit in the polls in recent weeks, is slightly behind his Democratic rival Barack Obama in Florida, which offers 27 of the 270 electoral votes needed to win the White House. "The president is convinced that John McCain has still time to close up this race," White House press secretary Dana Perino told reporters aboard Air Force One after being asked if the president had voiced any concern about McCain's standings in the polls. "He remembers when he was running in 2000 and how far he was down before... [read full story]