POLITICAL BRIEFING

ROLL THE PRESSES: If last week is any indication, two nemeses of President Bush will be primed to deliver some disgruntling news of their own when he arrives in New Hampshire on Wednesday for his first campaign visit of the year.

Bush’s foe in the Feb. 18 primary, conservative commentator Patrick J. Buchanan, and the President’s longtime institutional enemy, the Manchester Union Leader, have combined forces to goad, criticize and otherwise make life miserable for him. Last week alone, the Union Leader ran several editorials that thrashed Bush and praised Buchanan. Buchanan returned the favor by taking out a full-page ad headlined, “Hey Dan! Where’s George?” The ad commemorated Vice President Dan Quayle’s visit to shore up Bush support in the state.

The paper finished off the week with a shot at Quayle: An editorial described him as “one who apparently gets much of his information from golf magazines.”