Kerry rebukes president's policies on medical research

DENVER -- Buttressed by a new endorsement from 48 Nobel laureate scientists, presidential contender John F. Kerry yesterday denounced President Bush as lacking vision to pursue cures for Alzheimer's, AIDS, and other fatal diseases, and reached out to conservatives and moderates who are uneasy with Bush's limits on embryonic stem cell research.

On a day when two new polls suggested Bush's popularity ratings are falling and Kerry is slightly ahead in head-to-head matchups, the presumptive Democratic nominee sought to link science to his broader campaign theme of America as "a country of optimists" and "can-do people." With the Bush campaign aggressively labeling Kerry a "pessimist" -- including in a new Colorado radio ad that was timed to his visit to the state -- Kerry used the word "dream" seven times at an outdoor rally in Denver to try to distinguish himself from Bush by setting lofty goals of spending billions more on biomedical, scientific, and alternative-energy research.

"We've always had the ability to see around corners, to wonder 'what if?' " Kerry told more than 3,500 people, who waited 90 minutes in drizzle to hear him speak. "What if this plane takes flight at Kitty Hawk? . . . What if we could map our entire DNA? What if we could cure cancer and Parkinson's, AIDS, and Alzheimer's?"

" 'What if' is, in its own way, a uniquely American question. It's a question that hasn't been asked enough over the last three years," the Massachusetts senator continued. "I say this directly, and I say this because it is completely contrary to the record of the last four years, Americans deserve a president who believes in science."

Kerry repeated his pledge to reverse the president's restrictions on federal funding for stem cell research, which remains controversial with many conservatives because the most medically promising type of stem cells are extracted from embryos. Many scientists -- as well as prominent advocates such as Nancy Reagan and disabled actor Christopher Reeve -- have touted this research's potential for creating healthy cells for those suffering from debilitating, degenerative diseases like Alzheimer's, and Kerry strongly supports this research, providing there is "oversight" by the government and ethicists.

At the rally, Kerry was introduced by a fellow road biker and 41-year-old Coloradan, Chris Chappell, who was paralyzed when a mountain biking accident damaged his spinal cord in 2000. Kerry argued that stem cell research was a bipartisan cause that could cure or treat people like Chappell and help families like the Reagans, who stood by Ronald Reagan in his decade-long fight with Alzheimer's that ended with the former president's death June 5. Kerry urged voters to see him as a unifying candidate who would take risks in the pursuit of medical advances for all Americans.

"Stem cells may have the power to calm the hand of an uncle with Parkinson's, slow the loss of a grandmother's memory," said Kerry, who was born at a Denver military hospital. . "So many Americans look at me with tears in their eyes and ask me to help them find a cure for a daughter or son or parent who's suffering from diseases that are controlling their future and changing their lives. By supporting stem cell therapy, we have the possibility to control the future."

Kerry gave his speech after the 48 Nobel science laureates issued a letter hailing the senator's candidacy and his support for greater federal spending on science and biomedical research, including stem cell research. Three of the Nobel laureates held a conference call with reporters to decry Bush's science policies as ideologically driven, accusing the White House of distorting scientific studies to back its policies.

The Bush campaign, which often taps prominent supporters for conference calls to rebut Kerry's, did not hold such a call yesterday. Kerry aides seized on this as a sign that most Nobel science laureates and other leading researchers oppose Bush's reelection effort. But Bush campaign spokesman Steve Schmidt dismissed that notion as "absurd."

"Only John Kerry would talk about America and scientific decline on a day when the first private space flight was completed," Schmidt said, referring to yesterday's manned flight of SpaceShipOne more than 62 miles above earth. "The president enjoys support in the science community, and we'll be talking about our plans for science affirmatively and on our own schedule."

Asked about the integrity of science policy under Bush, Schmidt referred a reporter to the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy. Two top officials did not return phone calls seeking comment yesterday, and Bob Hopkins, an office staff member who handles media , said the Bush campaign should address the matter.

Before the rally, Kerry raised $500,000 at a luncheon fund-raiser at the Aspen home of Michael Goldberg, founder of Aerolease International.

Separately, the campaign announced that Democratic power broker Vernon Jordan will lead its negotiations on this fall's debates.

Patrick Healy can be reached at phealy@globe.com.