Date Posted: Monday, August 23, 2004

Presidential candidate John Kerry's campaign came out with ads responding to attacks on his Vietnam War record.

CRAWFORD, Texas (MASNET & News Agencies) - John Kerry can be proud of his record as a decorated Vietnam War veteran, President George W. Bush said, as controversy continued to swirl over attacks against the Democratic presidential candidate's military record by a pro-Bush veterans' group.

Under pressure from Democrats and Arizona Republican Senator John McCain, Bush on Monday called for ads attacking John Kerry's record in Vietnam to be stopped along with others run by independent groups, reports Reuters news agency.

"That ad and every other ad" run by such groups have no place in the campaign, Bush said when asked about the commercial sponsored by Swift Boat Veterans For Truth that has roiled the race for the White House, reports the Associated Press (AP).

"John Kerry served admirably and ought to be proud of his record," Bush told reporters at a press conference after a meeting of his top military and defense aides at his Texas ranch, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).

But Bush stopped short of directly condemning the charge that Kerry lied about his actions, and said that Kerry's military service nearly four decades ago should never have been used by the Democrat's campaign as to promote his candidacy.

"We ought to be debating who is best to be leading this country in the war on terror. That's what I continue to try to convince the American people - that I am the right person to continue to lead the country in the war on terror," Bush said.

A group calling itself "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth" aired a television ad that claimed Kerry lied about his war medals, putting the Massachusetts senator on the defensive about his vaunted war credentials.

The issue has dominated the U.S. presidential election campaign ever since, with each side accusing the other of lying and dirty campaign tricks.

Bush said both Republican and Democratic campaigns should try to limit the influence of so-called "527" partisan groups that can launch scathing attack ads with impunity against their preferred candidate's opponents.

"That means that ad and every other ad," Bush said when asked if he wanted to bring a stop to commercials by Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, reports Reuters.

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.

"I ask Senator John Kerry to join me and getting rid of all that kind of some money," Bush told reporters.

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 Senator John Edwards, the Democratic vice presidential candidate.

"Instead of hiding behind a front group, George Bush needs to take responsibility and demand that the ad come off the air," he said.

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.

Kerry's presidential campaign unveiled a new ad Sunday, calling on Bush to abandon "smears" against the Democratic candidate. The new Kerry ad says Bush smeared McCain four years ago and "now, he's doing it to John Kerry."

Newspaper reports have linked key Bush supporters to the financing of television spots by the anti-Kerry veterans group.

"These false attacks are tied directly to President Bush and his friends. In fact a Bush campaign advisor had to resign today because he apparently appears in one of these advertisements," Edwards said in North Carolina Sunday.

Edwards was referring to Ken Cordier, who until last week was on a Bush campaign committee.

Federal election rules bar organizations that take unrestricted donations from coordinating activities with campaigns or political parties, reports Reuters.

Still, the Swift Boat group plans to launch a new commercial on Tuesday in three key states.

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, reports the news agency.

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, reports Reuters.

Crewmate Sandusky said Monday, "I was there when he got wounded. I saw the blood. I don't care what Dole said."

Bush's campaign, meanwhile, released a letter on Monday requesting that U.S. television station managers "set the record straight" about a "false and libelous charge" contained in the latest Kerry campaign ad.

"It is completely false and without any evidence that the Bush 'campaign supports a front group attacking John Kerry's military record'," the letter said.