Kerry, Edwards to face off in California debate

4.00pm


LOS ANGELES - The Democratic presidential contenders converged on California on Thursday for the first of two debates that give John Edwards his best shot at slowing front-runner John Kerry's momentum before next week's 10-state Super Tuesday showdown.

Kerry, Edwards and the two other remaining candidates, Dennis Kucinich and Al Sharpton, will participate in the 90-minute debate at the University of Southern California on Thursday night.

Along with a Sunday debate in New York, the two forums offer Edwards his most public platform to try to change the dynamics of the Democratic race and stop Kerry's march to the nomination to face President George W Bush in November.

Bush, who launched his re-election drive earlier this week with attacks on Kerry, continued the theme during a trip to Kentucky and North Carolina. He derided his political rivals as out of touch with working Americans for refusing to support making his tax cuts permanent.

Kerry, who earned the endorsement of the New York Times, has dominated the Democratic race with 18 victories in the first 20 contests, and another blowout on Tuesday could put the nomination in reach and Edwards' candidacy in doubt.

The 10 states include big prizes like California, New York and Ohio and have 1151 delegates at stake, more than half of the 2162 needed to win. Kerry would not have enough delegates to win the nomination with another dominating performance, but Edwards would have little incentive to push on.

Edwards, who used a strong debate performances in Iowa and Wisconsin to mount late charges in those earlier races, began the day by earning the endorsements of the California and New York chapters of the ACORN community group, which represents more than 150,000 low and moderate-income families.

"I want to change this country so never again in America does anyone ever utter the phrase 'working poor,"' he said at a rally in San Francisco.

Kerry arrived in Los Angeles on Thursday afternoon and planned to stop at a grocery store to meet striking workers. More than 70,000 California grocery employees have been on strike for the past five months over a plan by three supermarket chains to cut their health benefits.

The Massachusetts senator drew more than 2500 people at a campaign rally in Macalester College's field house in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Wednesday night. Fire marshals said they turned away hundreds more.

During a speech interrupted dozens of times by a mix of union members and college students waving blue-and-white Kerry signs, the senator blamed Bush for sending American jobs abroad, leaving millions without health care, running an inept foreign policy and alienating traditional US allies.

Bush, on a visit to Kentucky, said his challengers were out of touch with working Americans for opposing the extension of his 2001 and 2003 tax cuts at a cost of around $1 trillion over the next decade.

"That's code word for 'I'm going to raise your taxes,"' Bush told workers at a Louisville pipe-making company.

"We don't need to be raising taxes right now as the economy is beginning to recover. We've got plenty of money in Washington DC," he said, ignoring this year's projected half-trillion-dollar budget deficit.

Bush also planned a visit to Edwards' home turf of North Carolina on Thursday night for a fund raiser in Charlotte.

"I wish President Bush would spend more time talking to families and listening to their fears, like I do," the North Carolina senator said. "Then he might realize that the people of North Carolina need more from their president than economic photo-ops and $2000-a-plate fund raisers."

In its editorial endorsing Kerry, The New York Times said he "exudes maturity and depth" and that "what his critics see as an inability to take strong, clear positions seems to us to reflect his appreciation that life is not simple."

But the Times also criticised Kerry for showing little interest in being daring and said: "We wish we could see a little of the political courage of the Vietnam hero who came back to lead the fight against the war."

The Times said Edwards was a strong campaigner but too inexperienced. "When he departs from his stump speech and discusses domestic issues or -- particularly -- foreign affairs, his lack of experience shows," it said.

- REUTERS