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XXXXX DRUDGE REPORT XXXXX FEB 27, 2006 18:01:23 ET XXXXX

BUSH NOW ADMITS BIN LADEN HELPED HIM BEAT JOHN KERRY

**Exclusive**

President Bush now says his 2004 victory over Sen. John Kerry, who is mulling a comeback in 2008, was inadvertently aided by al Qaeda terrorist leader Osama bin Laden.

And Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman, who steadfastly refused to defend Swift Boat Veterans for the Truth when he ran Bush's campaign, now calls them ''heroes'' who played a crucial role in vanquishing Kerry.

Bill Sammon, Senior White House Correspondent for the WASHINGTON EXAMINER, scores another exclusive for Tuesday editions with explosive excerpts from his new book, STRATEGERY.

For the first time, the president says he was helped by bin Laden, who put out a videotaped diatribe against Bush the Friday before the 2004 election.

Bush said there were ''enormous amounts of discussion'' inside his campaign about the 15-minute tape, which he called ''an interesting entry by our enemy'' into the presidential race.

http://www.drudgereport.com/flash3wsa.htm