** FILE ** In this Aug. 31, 2004 photo, Matthew Dowd, former pollster and strategist for President Bush, is seen on the floor of the Republican National Convention in New York. Asked about recent sharp criticism of the Iraq war by Dowd, the president said, "I have not talked to Matthew about his concerns. Nevertheless, I understand his anguish about the war." Dowd has a son in the military who is about to be sent to Iraq. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)