Candidates Rap Bush As N.H. Primary Looms
1 hour, 18 minutes ago
By DAVID ESPO, AP Special Correspondent
CONCORD, N.H. - John Kerry (news - web sites) accused the Bush administration on Friday of shortchanging veterans, targeting Republicans while Democratic presidential rivals hoped his campaign momentum would soon subside.
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· Kerry Tries to Energize Fellow Veterans
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· Democratic presidential hopefuls enter final stretch in New Hampshire
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· Voters Search for Virtue in Dean's Faults
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Election 2004
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"The first definition of patriotism is keeping faith with those who have worn the uniform of the country," said the Massachusetts senator, who served in Vietnam. He said some veterans must wait too long for health care, while others who are disabled receive a reduced pension.
Howard Dean (news - web sites), the former front-runner, called for the replacement of Federal Reserve (news - web sites) Chairman Alan Greenspan (news - web sites) as he sought to re-establish his outsider's credentials in the race.
"If he was foolish enough — and he's not a foolish man — to support the outrageous tax cut that George Bush put through then he has become too political and we need a new chairman," said the former Vermont governor.
Greenspan's term ends in June. Bush has said he intends to reappoint him.
Four days before the New Hampshire primary, Sen. Joe Lieberman (news - web sites) released a new television commercial that said he was "a national leader in the fight against terrorism and tyranny."
The ad says Lieberman was the only Democratic candidate who was "clear we are safer with Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) in prison, not in power," and that the Connecticut senator "was warning about al-Qaida long before George Bush knew who they were."
Kerry's victory in the Iowa caucuses on Monday night sparked a powerful surge in the New Hampshire polls, which show the Massachusetts senator moving well past his rivals. "Numbers scare me," he said during the day — but it was the other Democrats who seemed more concerned.
Dean sang of a comeback as he campaigned for one. Ducking into a music store in Milford, N.H., he pulled down a guitar and began strumming "Come Back Baby."
His campaign also prepared a new commercial featuring Dean's wife, Judy, a physician who had avoided all public campaign appearances until last week in Iowa. The former Vermont governor has been struggling to re-establish himself since his third-place finish in the state and a loud, arm-waving appearance before supporters that night.
Dean's advisers spread the word they hope he can arrest his own slide in the polls and then claim a comeback — if not outright victory — on primary day. Bill Clinton (news - web sites) did that successfully in 1992, when he was mired in a controversy over an alleged extramarital affair and lost the state to Massachusetts Sen. Paul Tsongas.
Retired Gen. Wesley Clark (news - web sites), who skipped the Iowa caucuses, also has faded in the polls this week after enjoying a growth in support. Aides said they hope he can make a respectable showing on Tuesday, then bring his campaign money and military record to bear in South Carolina and six other states that vote on Feb. 3.
Sen. John Edwards (news - web sites), too, was dividing his attention between New Hampshire and the states that pick their delegates next month. He spent part of the day campaigning in New Hampshire before leaving for South Carolina, which holds a primary Feb. 3.
Before flying south, he denounced companies that are winning contracts for work in Iraq (news - web sites) while making political contributions to the well-connected in Washington. Calling them "war profiteers," he said, "We ought to ban these companies from making political contributions while they're bidding on government contracts."
Republicans, too, took note of Kerry's emergence.
"Whether it's economic policy, national security policy or social issues, John Kerry is out of sync with most voters," Republican Party chairman Ed Gillespie said in a speech in suburban Virginia.
He said the Americans for Democratic Action, a liberal group, gives Kerry a lifetime rating of 93 percent, compared to 88 percent for Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, long a favorite target for Republicans.
"Who would have guessed it? Ted Kennedy is the conservative senator from Massachusetts!" Gillespie said.
Whatever Republicans think about him, Kennedy enjoys widespread support among Democrats, and intends to campaign with Kerry on Sunday.
Kerry appealed to veterans for support during the day, making his rounds with Sen. Ernest Hollings and former Sen. Max Cleland, a triple amputee from wounds suffered in Vietnam.
"He's been there, done that and gotten a few holes in his T-shirt," Cleland said of Kerry, who was awarded a bronze star for his service.
Hollings, who endorsed Kerry on Thursday, took a veiled swipe at Clark, a retired four-star general. "We're going to teach that fellow in South Carolina that there are more lieutenants than there are generals," said Hollings.
Clark had caused a minor campaign flap when he referred to Kerry as a junior officer not involved in serious policy issues.
Kerry's aides also said he had won the endorsement of Walter F. Mondale, the former vice president and the party's 1984 presidential nominee. Kerry is also scheduled to receive the formal endorsement of the League of Conservation Voters during an event Saturday in Concord. |
