US: The US presidential election campaign is rapidly turning into one of the most nasty and confrontational in modern history, with the Republican and Democratic camps attacking each other in television ads designed to destroy the opponent's credibility on national security.
The Democrats yesterday issued a commercial entitled "Despicable", in which they accuse the Bush administration of "playing politics with terror" to keep control of the White House. Their immediate target was an ad placed by the Republican group Progress for America Voter Fund that shows Saddam Hussein, Osama bin Laden, and hijacker Mohammed Atta, and the ruins of the World Trade Centre, and questioned Democratic challenger John Kerry's ability to deal with them.
Another Republican ad recalls contrasting comments by Kerry, including "the winning of the war was brilliant", and, "It's the wrong war, in the wrong place, at the wrong time," and asks, "How can John Kerry protect us when he doesn't even know where he stands?" The Kerry campaign responded, "George Bush hasn't been straight with the American people about Iraq and he isn't being straight with them about John Kerry."
It said the Bush campaign's "misleading, false ads are aimed at covering up the wrong choices George Bush has made in Iraq and the fantasy-land descriptions he uses to cover up his failure to deal with the violence on the ground."
A Republican spokeswoman said the Democrats "are preaching retreat and defeat in the face of real challenges from an enemy bent on our destruction." President Bush and Senator Kerry are preparing for their first debate on Thursday, which will take place in Miami and focus on foreign policy and security. Yesterday Mr Bush made his 26th campaign visit to the battleground state of Ohio and today will practise for the debate at his ranch in Crawford, Texas.
Mr Kerry held a town hall meeting in Wisconsin, another key state, where he will remain to rehearse for the debate at a resort. The Massachusetts senator criticised Mr Bush for telling Fox News that, knowing what he knows now, he would still repeat his trip to an aircraft carrier on May 1st, 2003, where he announced that major combat was over in Iraq, in front of a banner proclaiming "mission accomplished".
"I flew out there, and said, 'Thanks. Thanks on behalf of a grateful nation.' You bet I'd do it again," he said.
Mr Kerry called the reply "unbelievable".
In a speech in Washington, Democractic Senator Edward Kennedy said that by focusing on Iraq, Mr Bush had increased the danger of a "nuclear 9/11".