Bush 'using fear and smear'

2004-08-24 20:35

New York - Democratic presidential hopeful senator John Kerry went on the offensive here on Tuesday charging the campaign of President George W Bush of using "fear and smear" tactics in its bid to retain the White House.

"The Bush campaign and its allies have turned to the tactics of fear and smear because they can't talk about jobs, health care, energy independence and rebuilding our alliances - the real issues that matter to the American people," said Kerry.

His campaign has accused the Bush re-election bandwagon of orchestrating a series of hard-hitting television ads in battleground states that have attacked Kerry's military record in Vietnam.

However, the Bush campaign on Tuesday said Kerry had taken part in events organised by a liberal group, MoveOn.org, that had poured cash into what it described as vitriolic anti-Bush ads.

"I am here today to call for a truthful and robust debate about our values as Americans and the fundamental choices we will make at a critical time in our history," Kerry declared at a New York engineering college, The Cooper Union.

'Interests of the few ahead of the many'

"That is what this election should be about. But, from the other side, we have seen a calculated effort to evade that debate."

He charged that "every step of the way, George W Bush has put the narrow interests of the few ahead of the interests of most Americans."

Days ahead of the Republican national convention here, Kerry expressed confidence that the public would not be swayed by what the Republicans said at the rally.

"The world will listen to what the Republicans say when they come here," Kerry said. "But words, slogans and personal attacks cannot disguise what they have done - and left undone.

"They are going to say that we've 'turned the corner,' that the job is getting done.

War of words about Kerry record

"They are even going to claim, as they already have, that this is the best economy of our lifetimes."

The speech comes on the heels of an intense sparring match in which the two sides have accused each other of lying in a war of words over Kerry's record in the Vietnam War.

A book by former soldiers behind ads run by the "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth" which attack Kerry's military service has leapt onto the bestseller lists, according to sales recorded by Amazon.com.

- AFP