MANCHESTER, N.H. — John F. Kerry laced into Howard Dean on Saturday with a speech that questioned the judgment, temperament and political values of the Democratic front-runner, suggesting Dean would almost certainly lose the 2004 election if pitted against President Bush.
Ticking off a series of recent Dean statements, including his comment that America was no safer with the capture of Saddam Hussein, Kerry said, "You don't have to listen too carefully to hear the sounds of champagne corks popping in Karl Rove's office," a reference to Bush's chief political strategist.
"Someone who talks like this is going to have a hard time convincing the American people that he can keep them safe," Kerry, a U.S. senator from Massachusetts, continued. "This election is too vital for us to lose ... because voters refuse to take a gamble on national security and the steadiness of our leadership."
The speech was one of the most pointed attacks of the Democratic primary fight and came at a venue chosen to send a symbolic message beyond Kerry's strong words. The broadside was delivered at the downtown Manchester Public Library, 11 days after Dean stood in the same spot and assailed his Democratic rivals -- Kerry among them -- as spineless members of Washington's "politics-as-usual club."
Campaigning Saturday in Iowa, the former Vermont governor let aides respond on his behalf.
"Obviously, he's got a problem if his message is simply to attack rather than to offer a positive vision," Gina Glantz, a senior advisor to the Dean campaign, said of Kerry.
Dean later spoke generally about the barrage of attacks he is fielding from his opponents. "We ought to focus on what we believe positively and train our negative fire on George Bush, because all this stuff ... is not going to help the Democratic nominee when we all get down to the end on this one," Dean said.
Joining Dean for a series of town hall meetings was New Jersey Rep. Robert Menendez, the highest-ranking Latino in Congress, who endorsed the former governor, praising his candor and "principled position" against the war in Iraq.
"We all say we want honesty from the people who are representing us," said Menendez, chairman of the House Democratic Caucus. "Then when we get it, we say, 'Oh, isn't that a weakness?' I think that this is part of what I find refreshing about the governor ... he's straightforward and he's honest."
