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Article published Sep 2, 2003
Democrat makes candidacy official as he struggles to right
campaign
By MIKE GLOVER
Associated Press
Writer
Democrat John Kerry, seeking to regain his political
footing, formally launched his presidential candidacy Tuesday by offering his
Vietnam War-hero credentials and Senate tenure as an alternative to President
Bush's record.
"Every day of this campaign, I will challenge George Bush
for fundamentally taking our country in the wrong direction," Kerry told the
crowd on a steamy morning. "George Bush's vision does not live up to the America
I enlisted in the Navy to defend."
The stars-and-stripes announcement
with the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown as a backdrop and Kerry's wartime
comrades at his side comes at a critical juncture for the four-term
Massachusetts senator. Once viewed as the Democratic front-runner in the crowded
field of nine, Kerry saw that perception evaporate in the heat of party rival
Howard Dean's summer surge.
The political free-fall has prompted a fresh
round of finger-pointing in Kerry's deeply divided campaign and has the
candidate considering a staff shake-up, according to several campaign officials
who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The tone of Kerry's speech, in fact,
was the subject of fierce internal debate within the campaign over whether to
focus on the candidate's resume and Bush's performance, or lambaste Dean. The
former Vermont governor has grabbed a hefty 21-point lead over Kerry in the
latest New Hampshire poll, a crucial state for the two New Englanders. Dean has
built momentum with his anti-war, anti-Washington themes and successfully tapped
the Internet for fund raising and supporters.
Kerry opted to devote much
of his speech to his military service, years as Massachusetts senator and Bush's
record on the economy, the environment and national security. He did take a few
subtle swipes at Dean.
"Some in my party want to get rid of all tax cuts,
including those for working families," he said. "That's wrong. We need to be on
the side of America's middle class and I've proposed a tax cut for them because
it's the right way to strengthen our economy."
Dean favors a repeal of
all of Bush's tax cuts.
Kerry also alluded to Dean's opposition to
broadening gun-control laws, which has made his campaign more acceptable to
groups such as the National Rifle Association.
"Our party will never be
the choice of the NRA and I'm not looking to be the candidate of the NRA," Kerry
said. "Courage means standing up for gun safety, not retreating from the issue
out of political fear."
Kerry hopes to draw similar distinctions between
himself and Dean at a Democratic presidential debate in New Mexico on Thursday,
aides said.
At the White House, spokesman Scott McClellan declined to
respond to Kerry's criticism of Bush, saying, "I think I'll leave the politics
to the Democrats in their primary. The president's continuing to focus on the
people's business."
Kerry's speech was written by the senator and
Democratic consultant Bob Shrum with little input from the rest of his staff.
Shrum, who joined the campaign in recent months, has been at odds with other
senior aides who put the early pieces of Kerry's campaign together.
Aides
say the weeks-old rift has grown amid Dean's surge. One senior adviser, speaking
on condition of anonymity, said Kerry is considering changing or clarifying the
duties of some of his tops aides - a move that might trigger departures on the
turf-concious campaign.
The changes, if made, will come soon, the
official said.
At his announcement, Kerry was joined by crew members of a
Navy gunboat he commanded in Vietnam, where he won a Silver Star, Bronze Star
and three Purple Hearts. Introducing Kerry was former Sen. Max Cleland of
Georgia, who lost both legs and an arm in Vietnam combat. It is all part of
Kerry's core argument that his military experience gives him unique credibility
among the nine Democratic contenders to confront Bush on national security
issues.
Shortly after the speech, Kerry embarked on a three-state swing
that takes him to Iowa and New Hampshire, and ends with an appearance at
Boston's famed Faneuil Hall on Wednesday.
Months ago, Kerry made clear
his intention to seek the party's nomination, and he attracted a great deal of
attention from the Democratic establishment. John Forbes Kerry has the initials
of a one-time Democratic president - JFK - and a comparable pedigree - Ivy
League education, commander of a small Navy craft during wartime and
Massachusetts senator.
Last October, he voted for the congressional
resolution authorizing Bush to use military force in Iraq, but he has been
sharply critical of the president's diplomatic efforts and stirred controversy
earlier this year when he said that the United States needed a "regime
change."
Kerry sketched out no new proposals in his announcement, but
sought to put the focus on broad themes he hopes to sound in the
campaign.
"What we have today, and what we must change, is not simply a
failure of policy," Kerry said. "Today, at the center of power we have a radical
ethic that ratifies and glorifies a creed of greed."
---
AP
Political Writer Ron Fournier in Washington contributed to this report.