CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa, July 20 (AFP) - US President George W. Bush's twin daughters on Tuesday made their first joint appearance on behalf of his reelection campaign, part of their increasingly high profile.
Brown-haired Barbara and blonde Jenna beamed, applauded and shared a few private words as Bush took the stage at a brand new indoor sports complex at a small college here and joked that they made up for wife Laura Bush's absence.
"I'm sorry that Laura's not with us," he said. "Fortunately however, our two daughters came today. I'm really glad they're on the campaign trail with me because it makes the days a little shorter and the trips a lot more fun."
Come Friday, Jenna and Barbara will host an online chat on Bush's official campaign Internet site, www.georgewbush.com, focusing on the importance of young voters in the November 2 election, according to the Bush campaign.
Before that, they will hold a series of campaign events -- closed to the press -- in electorally crucial states Missouri, Ohio and Pennsylvania from late Tuesday through Thursday, a campaign spokesman said.
The White House had previously worked to shield the twins from the media spotlight, mostly with success apart from some headline-grabbing brushes with the law sparked by their underage drinking.
Now just out of college, Jenna and Barbara are trying to help Bush win a second four-year term in the face of a tough challenge from his Democratic White House rival, Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts.