President Bush gave Florida voters a preview Monday of his campaign pitch that the economy is vibrant and can be nourished with optimism and tax cuts, although mixed economic indicators prevent him from boasting of a boom.

Bush, speaking at a window and door factory in the state that decided the 2000 election, chatted with small-business workers and executives at a talk-show-style forum with "Strengthening America's Economy" emblazoned on two fake windows that the White House had created as backdrops.

The artificial windows revealed an inviting blue sky. Bush portrayed a similarly sunny outlook with remarks that used "optimistic" or "optimism" seven times in 49 minutes. He repeatedly stressed the power of positive thinking as an engine of job creation.