Gloves come off in the battle for the White House

WASHINGTON - Democrat John Kerry and Republican President George W. Bush kicked off what promised to be a bitter and close eight-month election battle yesterday in a flurry of attacks and flag-waving ads.

On his first day as the presumptive Democratic nominee, Kerry headed to Florida and accused Bush of "broken promises" on national security and the war in Iraq.

Bush unveiled his first ads of the election campaign, using images of the September 11, 2001, attacks to tout his "strong leadership in times of change" and his optimistic view of America's future.

"I know exactly where I want to lead this country ... I know what we need to do to make the world more free and more peaceful," Bush said in one of four advertisements to begin airing around the country as he starts spending some of his US$100 million war chest.

Kerry wrapped up the nomination by scoring wins in nine of the 10 Democratic presidential contests and driving his last remaining major rival, John Edwards, out of the race.

Edwards formally withdrew yesterday at the Raleigh, North Carolina, high school that was attended by two of his children, saying Kerry's "heart is good" and he would "do everything in my power" to make him president.

Kerry launched the hunt for a vice-presidential running mate by naming businessman Jim Johnson, a prominent Washington Democrat and former aide to Vice-President Walter Mondale, to head the search.

Johnson will spend the next few weeks assembling a team to contact and evaluate potential candidates.

Kerry said Bush should share responsibility in Iraq with the international community and win help in reconstruction.

"I don't think there's a person in this room who believes this President went to war as a last resort," he told a town hall meeting in Orlando. "Those are broken promises."

Bush's television ads, including one in Spanish, will air in at least 16 states at a cost of US$4.5 million. They made it clear that he will use the September 11, 2001, attacks and his leadership during that crisis as a centrepiece of his re-election campaign.

One ad shows a damaged building from the World Trade Centre ruins behind an American flag. Another ad shows firefighters. Over images from the attacks and a stock ticker showing plunging market values, a narrator in one ad says "America rose to the challenge" and concludes: "President Bush, steady leadership in times of change."

While the ads could leave Bush open to charges he was exploiting a national tragedy for political gain, campaign manager Ken Mehlman said it was a landmark moment in Bush's presidency.

"Unlike the Kerry campaign's first ads last September, which included an attack on the President, our first ads are all positive, focusing on President Bush's steady leadership in times of change," Mehlman said.

The Kerry campaign quickly replied that Bush's steady leadership had cost Americans nearly three million jobs and increased the federal deficit while cutting budgets for the firefighters featured in the ads.

"The only thing steady about this President is his steadily leading our country in the wrong direction," said Kerry campaign spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter.

- REUTERS