Kerry, Cheney trade charges on leadership
WASHINGTON -- Tomorrow's first anniversary of the Iraqi war triggered a harsh exchange between the Republican and Democratic presidential campaigns yesterday, highlighting the intensity of the battle between President Bush and John F. Kerry as each seeks to be seen as the more credible leader in a time of war.
In dueling speeches on both coasts, Kerry accused Bush of mistreating troops and their families despite a campaign pledge that "help is on the way," while Vice President Dick Cheney cast his boss as a decisive and fear-inspiring leader, unlike the presumptive Democratic nominee.
"In his years in Washington, Senator Kerry has been one vote of 100 in the US Senate. Fortunately, on matters of national security, he is very often in the minority," Cheney said in remarks delivered at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif. "But the presidency is an entirely different responsibility. The president always casts the deciding vote, and the senator from Massachusetts has given us ample doubts about his judgment and the attitude he brings to bear on the vital issues of national security."
Back in the capital, Kerry was joined on stage by three former Clinton administration officials -- former secretary of state Madeleine Albright, former defense secretary William Perry, and former Joint Chiefs chairman John Shalikashvili -- as he declared that his own experience in the armed forces gave him insight into how the military should be shaped in the future and how troops can receive better treatment.
One Kerry idea is to temporarily budget for 40,000 extra soldiers in the Army so the Pentagon does not, as it is currently doing, maintain an expanded wartime force by stopping personnel from leaving at the end of their planned tours.
"George Bush said that our troops lacked the support that they needed four years ago as he was running for president. He said and he promised all across America, `Help is on the way,' " Kerry said in remarks delivered before an array of 17 American flags erected on a stage at George Washington University. "George Bush can't have it both ways. He can't decry the military's readiness in 2000, and then turn around and take credit for its remarkable success in 2001, before he had even passed his first defense budget."
As Kerry spoke, an explosion in a Baghdad hotel killed at least 27 people. The senator highlighted the ongoing danger to US troops and blamed the president for placing them in harm's way without sufficient support from allies, and for spreading them too thinly around the globe.
"We're still bogged down in Iraq, and the administration stubbornly holds to failed, unilateral policies that drive potential, significant, important, longstanding allies away from us. What we have seen is a steady loss of lives and mounting cost in dollars to the American taxpayer, with no end in sight," he said.
"The lesson here is fundamental. At times conflict comes. And the decision must be made. For a president, the decision may be lonely, but that doesn't mean that America should go it alone," Kerry added. "If I am president of the United States, we will do whatever it takes to ensure that the 21st-century American military is the strongest in the world.
"I will not hesitate to use force when it is needed to wage and to win the war on terror. But at the heart of that force must be a fully prepared, fully equipped, fully staffed, state-of-the-art military, ready to face any adversary anywhere in the world."
Kerry also responded to a new Bush-Cheney campaign commercial that depicts him repeatedly voting against Iraqi war funding, providing troops with body armor, extra combat pay, and better health care for reservists and their families. In reality, Kerry voted once against a single $87 billion supplemental appropriation providing those things, after the administration refused his request to fund the extra spending with money from recently enacted tax cuts.
"Did you see the Bush campaign turn one vote into four?" Kerry said to an aide in his plane's press cabin. "And they wonder why they're called liars."
Kerry sparked controversy last week when he called his opponents "the most crooked . . . lying group" in comments over an open microphone. He refused to back down from that language.
In advance of the first anniversary of the Iraq invasion, the administration has been trying to cite its national security credentials while portraying Kerry as weak and indecisive. Kerry has tried to inoculate himself by surrounding himself with veterans, talking about his wartime experiences in Vietnam, and using the endorsement of high-profile military specialists, such as Perry and Shalikashvili, to bolster his credibility with today's armed forces.
The administration's decision to have Cheney attack Kerry on behalf of Bush underscores the Republicans' belief that the former defense secretary remains credible with the American people on military matters despite the continuing hostilities in Iraq. The vice president's quiet, dry delivery also lets him deliver a sharp blow without appearing overtly partisan.
Yesterday the vice president ran through Kerry's voting record on weapons systems and military confrontations. "Whatever the explanation, whatever nuances he might fault us for neglecting, it is not an impressive record for someone who aspires to become commander-in-chief in this time of testing for our country," Cheney said.
Turning to Bush, Cheney said: "When he makes a commitment, there is no doubt he will follow through. As a result, America's friends know they can trust, and America's enemies know they can fear, the decisive leadership of President George W. Bush. The president's conduct in leading America through a time of unprecedented danger, his ability to make decisions and stand by them, is a measure that must be applied to the candidate who now opposes him."
Kerry dismissed the criticism as he boarded his campaign plane yesterday morning, telling reporters, "I'm flattered. That's great. Bring it on."
His staff seized on the criticism, issuing several news releases later in the day highlighting, among other things, Cheney's own support for cutting the same weapons systems Kerry opposed.
The ouster of Spain's government after a terrorist bombing last week provided a rare moment of agreement between the two camps yesterday. Kerry rejected a statement made Tuesday by Howard Dean, who told reporters during a conference call convened to support Kerry: "The president was the one who dragged our troops to Iraq, which apparently has been a factor in the death of 200 Spaniards over the weekend."
Ed Gillespie, chairman of the Republican National Committee, said in a statement: "We cannot allow presidential candidates or their surrogates to become mouthpieces for terrorists. Blaming freedom-loving people for these attacks is not the way to defeat the scourge of global terror."
Kerry told reporters on his plane that Dean "backed off his statement. It's not our position."
Later, during his speech at George Washington University, Kerry said: "As I said yesterday about the events in Spain, they cannot become the reason to leave. And I call on Prime Minister [Jose Luis Rodriguez] Zapatero to reconsider his decision and to send a message that terrorists cannot win by their acts of terror."
Following the speech, Kerry left for a weeklong vacation in Ketchum, Idaho. While acknowledging he will probably have to work each day, Kerry said he hoped to spend plenty of time outdoors.
On the plane to Idaho, Kerry told reporters he will undergo shoulder surgery in the coming weeks. Kerry said he has occasional twinges of pain in his right shoulder, caused by a bicycle accident last summer.
Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com.
