Gov. Bush campaigns for his brother in Miami-Dade as some local GOP officials remain concerned about U.S. policy toward Cuba.

  BY LESLEY CLARK

  Gov. Jeb Bush fired up a roomful of supporters of his brother's reelection campaign Saturday in Miami, but there were signs of lingering tension over the
  Bush administration's Cuba policy.

  Even as Bush was mobbed by the crowd for autographs and pictures, a few Cuban-American Republican legislators and local elected leaders chose to skip
  the morning rally and a closed-door reception with the governor, underscoring, they said privately, concern over the president's commitment to a
  crackdown on Fidel Castro.

  The no-shows come six months after GOP legislators and local elected leaders wrote to the White House warning that the president risks losing crucial
  Cuban-American support unless more is done to ensure democracy in Cuba.

  ''The lack of turnout among Republican-elected officials at the campaign kickoff may highlight a problem among Cuban-American voters that must be
  addressed,'' said state Rep. David Rivera of Miami.

  He was among the legislators who did not attend, saying he had scheduling conflicts.

  ''As Republican-elected officials, we want to deliver overwhelming support for the president's reelection, but we need help on the Cuba issue to achieve it,''
  said Rivera, one of 13 state representatives to sign the letter to the White House.

  Others who said they had prior commitments included Miami Beach Rep. Gus Barreiro, Rep. Manny Prieguez and Hialeah Councilman Esteban Bovo.

  THREE ATTENDED

  Only three of those who signed the letter met with the governor: Miami Republicans state House Majority Leader Marco Rubio, Rep. Gaston Cantens and
  Rep. Julio Robaina. Miami-Dade Commissioner Jose ''Pepe'' Diaz and U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart also attended the early morning reception at the Radisson
  Mart Plaza.

  ''Putting all our issues aside, we are all committed to getting this gentleman reelected,'' Robaina said.

  Robaina said the low turnout could be attributed to the early hour of the event, but he acknowledged there is still a belief that the administration needs to
  do more.

  ''It's still there and it has not gone away,'' Robaina said. ``But we're moving in the right direction.''

  The governor -- who spent much of Friday in Miami courting Cuban votes for his brother -- downplayed the talk of a protracted rift.

  ''`There's strong support for the president in this community,'' Bush said after a round of applause for his brother at a Latin Builders Association luncheon.

  ``The Cuban-American support for the president is really strong. Very strong. Very intense.''

  U.S. DEFENDS POLICY

  The White House has been on the defensive on its Cuba policies since last July when it repatriated 12 Cubans suspected of hijacking a boat to reach
  Florida.

  The decision drew fiery responses from leaders of the politically influential Cuban American National Foundation.

  The legislators' letter suggested that, unless the administration becomes more aggressive in targeting Castro, Bush would risk losing the traditionally
  enthusiastic support among the state's Cuban-American voters.

  RECOUNT FIGHT

  In 2000, when Bush won Florida by 537 votes after a protracted recount fight, he won more than 80 percent of the 400,000 Cuban Americans who voted --
  a statistic that is not lost on GOP strategists.

  Gov. Bush went on the offense on behalf of his brother Friday night, telling a crowd of hard-line exiles attending a Cuban Liberty Council dinner that ``as
  long as George W. Bush is president of the United States, the Cuban people will have a true ally in the fight for a free Cuba.''

  He was preceded by Roger Noriega, the assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs, who said that Bush's ``personal commitment to a free
  Cuba is making a difference every day.''

  ''This administration will lead the way to democracy in Cuba,'' Noriega said.

  Speaking to the volunteers on Saturday, Bush repeated the president's support for the Cuban trade embargo, despite interest from Republicans in some
  farm states to lift the block.

  ''The embargo is being attacked, little by little,'' Bush said, noting his brother has ''threatened for the last three years'' to veto any effort to lift the
  embargo.