Vietnam: Bush had 'cushy' time

2004-09-15 13:37

Washington - George W Bush and his White House challenger John Kerry traded shots on Tuesday over Iraq as the Democrats stepped up their attacks on the president's military record and fitness to command for four more years.

The latest harsh exchange came as a "tell-all" tabloid biography of the Bush family filled with gossip and jabs at the Republican's vaunted family values hit the bookshelves as an instant bestseller.

The Family: The Real Story of the Bush Dynasty, by Kitty Kelley, features a litany of reported family peccadillos, including a headline allegation that George W Bush snorted cocaine at Camp David during his father's presidency.

New violence in Iraq

With Bush leading in the polls seven weeks before the November 2 election the two candidates found themselves flailing away once more over Iraq, where new violence on Tuesday left at least 73 people dead and hundreds others wounded.

Speaking to the annual convention of the United States National Guard in Las Vegas, Bush downplayed the turmoil as "ongoing acts of violence" that will not impede progress towards elections scheduled for January 2005.

And he again accused Kerry of vacillating on Iraq, saying it was critical a president "speak clearly and consistently at this time of great threat in our world, and not change positions because of expediency or pressure."

Kerry responded furiously in a statement that accused Bush of not levelling with the public about the situation in Iraq, where the US death toll has passed 1 000 and chaos was spreading.

"Things are getting worse," the Massachusetts senator said. "The situation is serious, and we need a president who will set a new direction and be straight with the American people."

The Democrats have been poking at Bush's character to counter assaults on Kerry's Vietnam War record by pro-Republican veterans that have taken a toll as the campaign heads down the final stretch.

On Tuesday, the Democrats came back with a new offensive and video aimed at highlighting "unanswered questions" regarding Bush's stint with the Texas Air National Guard three decades ago.

Bush owes an explanation

The effort, dubbed "Operation: Fortunate Son," sought to shift the focus onto what the Democrats call Bush's use of family connections to get a cushy National Guard position and avoid duty in Vietnam.

Democratic chairman Terry McAuliffe told a news conference the president owed an explanation to the US troops serving in Iraq and elsewhere.

"As George W Bush continues to rely heavily on the men and women serving in the armed forces today, thanks to his failed foreign policies, he has no business lying to them about fulfilling his own duty," McAuliffe said.

Bush steered clear of the controversy in his speech to the National Guard convention, saying only he was "proud to be one" of the 19 former members of the part-time Guard who went on to be president.

- AFP