Kerry slams Bush for encouraging terrorism

Published on 03/08/2004 01:04

UNITED States presidential contender John Kerry sought to build on the momentum of the Democratic National Conference yesterday when he launched a book-length blueprint for his White House campaign, including plans to fight terrorism and improve homeland security.

Speaking at a rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Mr Kerry put security at the heart of his campaign, accusing the president, George Bush, of pursuing policies that had encouraged recruitment of terrorists and failed to make the US as safe as it ought to be.

The 263-page book, Our Plan for America: Stronger at Home, Respected in the World, offers a detailed description of the Democratic ticket’s platform in a compilation of policy positions and recommendations.

"We offer this plan because we believe this election should be about ideas to lift America up, not negative attacks that drag America down," wrote Mr Kerry and his running mate John Edwards.

The first chapter outlines Mr Kerry’s plans to stop terrorism and improve domestic security.

He has said he would rebuild international alliances, modernise the US military and use American influence in military, diplomatic and cultural matters to promote peace.

Mr Kerry also embraced recommendations by the commission that investigated the 11 September attacks, including a national intelligence director to oversee the numerous government agencies that collect and decipher threat information.

The Bush campaign team said the president has already acted on most of Mr Kerry’s ideas, detailing actions in 31 of 33 cases where the Democratic Party candidate has called for change.

The president yesterday endorsed the creation of an intelligence tsar and counter-terrorism centre - his first steps in revamping the US intelligence-gathering system to help prevent a repeat of the 11 September attacks.

Bush spokesman Steve Schmidt called the Kerry-Edwards book "disingenuous and misleading". Speaking yesterday, Mr Kerry said: "The policies of this administration, I believe ... have resulted in an increase of animosity and anger focused on the United States of America. And the intelligence agencies of our country will tell you ... the people who are training terror are using our actions as a means of recruitment."

Mr Bush yesterday dismissed the idea that his policies were helping recruit terrorists.

"It is a ridiculous notion to assert that, because the United States is on the offensive, more people want to hurt us," he said. "We’re on the offensive because people do want to hurt us."

Early polls conducted after the Democratic National Convention in Boston closed at the end of last week gave a contradictory picture of the success of Mr Kerry in winning over voters, with some showing a slight gain in support for the Democrat while others recorded no change.

A Newsweek poll taken over Thursday and Friday last week gave the Kerry-Edwards camp a seven-point lead at 49 per cent to 42 per cent for the Bush-Cheney campaign, with independents Ralph Nader and Peter Camejo polling 3 per cent.

A Newsweek poll taken early in July gave the Democrats 47 per cent against the Republicans’ 44 per cent.

A CNN-USA Today-Gallup poll released on Sunday found Mr Bush and Mr Cheney slightly ahead among likely voters at 50 per cent to 46 per cent for Kerry-Edwards and 2 per cent for Nader-Camejo.

A CBS News poll released yesterday found the Democratic ticket slightly ahead of Bush-Cheney, 48 per cent to 43 per cent, with Mr Nader at 3 per cent.