Bush administration says Kerry should prove claim
WASHINGTON (AP) — John Kerry says he stands by his claim that some foreign leaders privately support him against President Bush. The White House, casting doubt on the Democrat’s credibility, suggested he was lying.
“I’m not making anything up at all,” Kerry told The Associated Press in an interview Monday, accusing Republicans of “trying to change the subject” from jobs, health care and other issues.
In a telephone interview, the Massachusetts senator and presumptive Democratic nominee said “it’s no secret” that some countries are “deeply divided about our foreign policy. We have lost respect and influence in the world.”
He continued: “I stand by my statement. The point is not the leaders. What’s important is that this administration’s foreign policy is not making us as safe as we can be in the world.”
Kerry was heading to West Virginia on Tuesday to meet with fellow veterans and await the results of the presidential primary in Illinois, but the subject of his talks with world leaders was likely to follow him to the Mountain State. He already has won more than enough Democratic convention delegates to win the presidential nomination.
Kerry said at a Florida fund-raiser last week that he’s heard from some world leaders who quietly back his candidacy and hope he is elected in November. Kerry has declined to identify them, saying to do so would betray confidences.
Three times Monday, White House spokesman Scott McClellan charged that Kerry was “making it up.” His reaction came one day after Secretary of State Colin Powell called on Kerry to name names, but made no accusations.
“Either he is straightforward and states who they are, or the only conclusion one can draw is that he is making it up to attack the president,” said White House spokesman Scott McClellan.
He also took issue with Kerry’s suggestions that the administration held up for political purposes the announcement of an agreement with Libya to rid itself of weapons of mass destruction; and that the administration had rebuffed offers from Russia and France to avert the Iraq war.
“This is not the first time he has refused to back up his assertions,” McClellan said.
In response, Kerry’s campaign issued a list of statements by Bush administration officials it portrayed as falsehoods, including the assertions that Iraq had stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction and the prediction that tax cuts would create jobs.
The campaign also wondered why the White House press secretary was doing the work of the re-election campaign.
“The White House would be better off spending its time repairing our alliances around the world so we can collectively fight the war on terrorism and better protect the United States, rather than using the White House press room as a place to carry out political attacks,” Kerry’s campaign said.
Kerry’s visit Tuesday to Huntington and Charleston reflects West Virginia’s newfound importance on the electoral map. Once considered reliable territory for Democrats, the state voted for Bush over Al Gore in 2000.
In the AP interview, Kerry said Bush forgot his pledge to preserve West Virginia steel jobs when he rolled back tariffs he previously had applied on foreign steel. He also said Bush has reneged on his vow to invigorate the state’s coal economy by helping the industry adopt cleaner technology.
“I don’t think West Virginians appreciate broken promises,” Kerry said. “West Virginia deserves the attention of a presidential candidate who cares.”
He blamed Gore’s loss in West Virginia on his failure to respond to Republican criticisms of his stance on gun control in the state, where hunting and legal firearm ownership are part of the social fabric.
Kerry said that won’t happen to him. “I’m a gun owner. I’ve been a hunter since I was about 12 years old,” he said. “My position is very clear. I support the Second Amendment.”
On Monday, Democrat Al Sharpton formally endorsed Kerry for president, though without ending his own campaign. Sharpton said he hoped to continue winning delegates to help shape the party’s platform.
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Associated Press Writer Lawrence Messina in Charleston, W. Va., contributed to this report.