Mickey Kaus questions here how it is that the Bush campaign has spent $39 million this quarter supporting his candidacy. Kaus asks whether the Bush campaign, as has been alleged about the Dean’s campaign, was a “gold plated operation.”
It is hard to tell from the campaign finance reports available on the web for free.
Here’s what little I can figure. Tray.com shows here shows some pretty large expenditures for printing and sending mail. This is probably direct mail, likely to energize the Republican base and raise more money. The FEC’s website here provides some additional clues. It looks like close to $ 2 million went to direct mail services from Olson-Shuvalov, a direct mail company headed by a former executive vice president of Karl Rove and Company. Another $875,000 went to Maverick Media of Austin Texas (whose founder was accused of leaking the debate tapes during 2000), for “media services.”
UPDATE: Polipundit has compiled more detailed and complete information (including an excel spreadsheet with the information) here.