The Hindu : International : White House race gets nasty

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Monday, Aug 09, 2004

International

International

White House race gets nasty

By Suzanne Goldenberg

WASHINGTON, AUG. 8. John Kerry, buffeted by a new assault on his wartime credentials, has scoured Michael Moore's `Fahrenheit 9/11' for memorable lines to deploy against President Bush.

Though Mr. Kerry unveiled a $29.5-billion plan to wean the U.S. off foreign oil, and Mr. Bush fended off criticism about July's job creation figures which fell far short of expectations, this is a campaign turning increasingly on which man would make a better commander-in-chief.

Full-frontal attack

In that fight, Mr. Kerry went to new lengths, borrowing Mr. Moore's best lines twice, without crediting the film-maker.

Meanwhile, Mr. Bush's supporters unveiled a full-frontal attack on Mr. Kerry, in television advertisements which argue he did not deserve his combat medals in Vietnam.

At a meeting of journalists from ethnic minorities, Mr. Kerry drew on a scene from `Fahrenheit 9/11', attacking Mr. Bush for his seven-minute delay in reacting to news on September 11, 2001. ``Had my top aide whispered in my ear, `America is under attack,' I would have told those kids very politely and nicely that the President of the United States had something he needed to attend to,'' he said, in response to a question.

Mr. Bush, after learning that a second plane had hit the World Trade Center, spent the next seven minutes reading My Pet Goat. Mr. Moore zoomed in on Mr. Bush's darting eyes to suggest he was at a loss as to what he should do. White House aides say Mr. Bush continued reading because he did not want to scare the children.

Previously, Mr. Kerry has steered clear of Mr. Moore for fear of alienating swing voters. In turn, Mr. Moore has yet to endorse Mr. Kerry. The former Republican New York Mayor, Rudolph Giuliani, criticised the tactics, saying Mr. Kerry had to be frustrated ``if he is armchair quarterbacking, based on cues from Michael Moore.''

Though Mr. Kerry aides insisted he had not seen the film, the Democratic challenger used another of its themes — inappropriately close ties between the Saudi regime and the Bush administration — during his speech to the Democratic convention. He used that line again this week in St. Louis, Missouri, saying: ``I want America's security to depend on America's ingenuity and creativity, not the Saudi royal family.''

Swipe

The swipe was part of a series of increasingly pointed exchanges between the rivals. In a TV advertisment, a small group of Vietnam veterans said Mr. Kerry did not deserve his combat medals.

The advert appeared to backfire when Mr. Kerry's then-commander retracted the claim. Television stations have hesitated to run the ad, and the Republican Senator, John McCain, a friend of the Democratic challenger and a Vietnam veteran, has urged the Bush campaign to repudiate the ads. — © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004

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