Kerry hits alleged Bush-Saudi deal
Seizes on account in journalist's book
LAKE WORTH, Fla. --The latest inside account of the Bush administration has provided fresh fodder for John F. Kerry's campaign, with the presumptive Democratic nominee yesterday condemning the president for reportedly allowing the Saudis to maintain high gasoline prices until just before the fall election, when they would be cut to boost the US economy.
Kerry said the deal, reported in "Plan of Attack," the new book by
Kerry yesterday invoked the report of a Bush-Saudi deal as a cause of high gas prices.
"Right now there are people all over this country who are literally going through their purses and their pocketbooks, looking behind the sofa and under the cushions and under the car, to find the pennies and the extra money to be able to pay the additional cost of gasoline," Kerry told a crowd of more than 1,000 gathered outdoors on the Palm Beach Community College campus. "They're giving up choices for their kids, giving up choices for a family, to pay the extra $30 to $50 a week in order to be able to pay for gas."
In a state where gas is selling for more than $2 a gallon and in a country where gas prices have risen an average of 29 cents a gallon since late December, Kerry added: "Those aren't Exxon prices we see, ladies and gentlemen. Those are Halliburton prices."
Halliburton is the Texas-based oil services giant that was run by Vice President Dick Cheney from 1995 to 2000 and is now the leading logistics contractor for the US military in Iraq. The company has been accused of overcharging the military $61 million for fuel provided in Iraq under a no-bid contract.
Woodward reports a promise made to Bush by Prince Bandar bin Sultan, the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the United States and a member of the country's ruling family. The Saudi Embassy denied the report, and Bush campaign spokesman Steve Schmidt said: "Senator Kerry's attack today was inaccurate and without basis in fact. It's typical of the type of attacks and pessimism he displays every day on the campaign trail.
"The president has a long-term plan to lower energy costs and to lessen America's dependence on foreign oil," Schmidt said. "John Kerry is opposed to that plan."
The mere mention of the book by Woodward, who as a Post reporter helped expose the Watergate scandal, brought murmurs and nods from the crowd, a mix of senior citizens on fixed incomes and students attending the commuter school.
Two political analysts said Woodward had the independence and credibility necessary to bolster some of the arguments Kerry has been making on the campaign trail, namely that Bush has shown more concern for the wealthy and the well-connected than he has for the working class.
"In this case, Kerry can, should, and will use the points he makes, because it's an independent journalist making the points, not him," said William Schneider of the American Enterprise Institute in Washington. "It's smart for Kerry to exploit the book, because Woodward's book makes very serious allegations."
Eric Davis, a political science professor at Middlebury College, said the Woodward book, following books in which former Treasury secretary Paul O'Neill and former Bush counterterrorism chief Richard A. Clarke said the president was fixated on attacking Iraq, can inoculate Kerry from charges of partisanship.
"I'm not sure these books are going to change how people vote, but it helps critics outside the administration when you can say there are people inside the administration making the same criticism, especially in the case of Clarke and O'Neill," Davis said. Nonetheless, he added, "I think the people who buy the books are predisposed to the arguments."
Kerry made the comment as he engaged in a four-day sweep across Florida. With stops in Miami, West Palm Beach, and, today, Tampa, he was hitting Democratic strongholds as he both campaigned and raised money. Yesterday he was joined by Senator Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut, the Democrats' 2000 vice presidential nominee and a popular figure among Jewish voters. Also attending were the state's two senators, Bob Graham and Bill Nelson, viewed as potential running mates for Kerry.
Referring to the disputed outcome of Florida's vote, in which Lieberman and Al Gore lost to Bush and Cheney by a 537-vote margin following a recount battle settled by the Supreme Court, Kerry told the crowd: "I am proud to be introduced by a man who not only should have been and was elected vice president of the United States, but he should have been inaugurated vice president of the United States."
In his remarks, Lieberman took on Bush supporters who stood nearby, chanting Bush's name and "four more years." One wore a dolphin costume and called himself "Flipper," accusing Kerry of flip-flopping on issues.
"You've had your four years, and we are going to have our four years," Lieberman retorted.
Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com. 
