Bush says 'that ad' attacking Kerry should stop

8.30am

CRAWFORD, TEXAS - Under pressure from Democrats and Republican Senator John McCain, President George W Bush on Monday called for ads attacking John Kerry's record in Vietnam to be stopped along with others run by independent groups, and said Kerry should be proud of his war service.

"That means that ad and every other ad," Bush said when asked if he wanted to bring a stop to commercials by a group called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, which accuse Sen Kerry of lying about his war record in Vietnam.

Bush said Kerry "served admirably" in Vietnam, adding: "He ought to be proud of his record." However, Bush stopped short of directly condemning the charge that Kerry lied about his actions.

Unlike previous statements by the White House, Bush this time referred specifically to the ad attacking Kerry's Vietnam service record, though he did not mention the Swift Boat group by name.

Bush did not specify what actions might be taken to stop the advertisements run by independent groups, except to renew his call on Kerry to join him in condemning all unregulated soft money ads.

The Kerry campaign said Bush did not go far enough. "The moment of truth came and went and the president still could not bring himself to do the right thing," said Sen. John Edwards, the Democratic vice presidential candidate.

"George Bush needs to take responsibility and demand that the ad come off the air," Edwards of North Carolina said.

Arizona Sen McCain, a prominent Republican Vietnam veteran, has also called on Bush to specifically condemn the commercials. Kerry has launched his own commercials urging the president to denounce the ads.

Still, the Swift Boat group plans to launch a new commercial on Tuesday in three key states, which features one veteran, Ken Cordier, who until last week was on a Bush campaign committee.

Federal election rules bar organisations that take unrestricted donations from co-ordinating activities with campaigns or political parties.

One member of the Swift Boat group who has accused Kerry of making up a report about enemy fire that won him two medals said on Sunday he had no proof to back up his claims but said he was one of seven eyewitness accounts to the events.

Another prominent war veteran, former Republican senator Bob Dole, has urged Kerry to apologize for testimony to Congress more than 30 years ago in which he quoted other veterans talking about alleged atrocities in Vietnam.

Dole also said Kerry had received only "superficial wounds" in Vietnam and had been taken out of combat as a result.

- REUTERS