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Thursday, Jan. 15, 2004

Polls show the races in Iowa and New Hampshire tightening significantly. With his lead shrinking, Dean is striking out at his opponents and reminding voters of his stand against the Iraq war.

70% of Americans Disagree With Me, Dean Brags

"I got my start in this race by standing up to George Bush when he supported a war that 70 percent of the people agreed with him on because he didn't tell the truth about how he got there," the former Vermont governor said Wednesday in Nashua, N.H.

"I'm going to finish this campaign in New Hampshire, and we are going to win by continuing to remind people that when it was important to stand up to George Bush, only one candidate in this race dared to do it."

His campaign put out word Wednesday evening that the Democrat field is dropping to eight Thursday with former Sen. Carol Moseley Braun of Illinois dropping out of the race and endorsing him.

Gephardt, who has staked his candidacy on a victory in Iowa, launched a new line of assault against Dean in the state where he and Sens. John Kerry of Massachusetts and John Edwards of North Carolina are the leading challengers to Dean in Monday's Iowa caucuses.

"To me, there is no room for the cynical politics of manufactured anger and false conviction," said Gephardt, a U.S. congressman from Missouri. "I believe in standing for something."

'End of Their Careers'

Dean said Gephardt's accusations were a "sad commentary" on the state of his campaign.

"Let's not kid ourselves about this, these guys are looking at the end of their careers if I win and they're going to do anything they can to stop me," Dean told Iowa Public Television on Wednesday after campaigning in New Hampshire.

Dean singled out Clark, a retired Army general who is rising in the polls in New Hampshire, for additional criticism of not being loyal to the Democratic Party. He noted that Clark has said he voted for Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan and has helped raise money for Republicans.

"I do not think somebody ought to run in the Democratic primary and then make the general election the Republican primary between two Republicans," Dean said to applause from the crowd.

'I'm a Democrat,' Reaganite Clark Insists

Clark told reporters after a national security speech in New Hampshire, "I'm a Democrat."

A spokesman, Bill Buck, said Dean's comment "smacks of old-time negative politics" that will turn off voters. "If Howard Dean wonders why his poll numbers are dropping in New Hampshire, he should look in the mirror," Buck said.

In his attack on Dean, Gephardt was trying to appeal to blue-collar workers frightened about trade deals and lost jobs.

Dean 'Yells and Pounds'

"Howard Dean travels the country and yells and pounds the podium against NAFTA, against the secrecy of the Bush-Cheney White House, and against insider corporate deals," he said. "This is the same Howard Dean who said he strongly supported NAFTA, who won't release his records as governor, and who wanted Vermont to 'overtake Bermuda' as a tax haven for companies like Enron."

He might air an ad echoing the speech's themes, advisers said.

Edwards, meanwhile, is closing the campaign with a positive ad, the more traditional approach. "I think this is about something much bigger than these petty snipings that are going on," Edwards says in the spot.

Gephardt Attacks Dean the Conservative

P.M. update: Gephardt took his sharp attacks on Dean from the campaign trail in Iowa to the television airwaves Thursday by broadcasting a highly critical campaign commercial that asks voters "How much do you really know about Howard Dean?"

The ad includes various clips of Dean talking as an announcer says: "Did you know Howard Dean called Medicare 'one of the worst federal programs ever'? Did you know he supported the Republican plan to cut Medicare by $270 billion? And, did you know Howard Dean supported cutting Social Security retirement benefits to balance the budget?"

Gephardt, shown speaking to a group of Iowans, then says, "I will be a president who will fight to protect Medicare and Social Security."

The 30-second spot is meant to energize Gephardt's core supporters and tap into anti-Dean sentiment from voters who might be taking a second look at the former Vermont governor's candidacy. Dean and Gephardt are in a close fight in Iowa, which holds its caucuses Monday, along with Kerry and Edwards.

Gephardt is taking a risk by airing a spot that assails his rivals because Iowa, the Missourian's must-win state, traditionally rewards candidates who don't go negative on the stump or on TV. The ad could backfire by causing potential Gephardt voters to support Kerry and Edwards, whose ads are positive and who are trying to stay above the fray. Dean also could use the attack to mobilize his own base, which he has done in the past.

Gephardt has questioned Dean's position on Medicare, and comments he has made about the federal program, throughout the campaign. He did it again Wednesday in a speech that assailed Dean on several fronts.

Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, who has endorsed Dean, said Gephardt's ad distorted Dean's positions.

"They've just gone overboard on Howard Dean. They've taken things out of context. I know Howard Dean. I mean, to leave the impression he's opposed to Medicare? That's just bizarre," Harkin told reporters while traveling with Dean on a bus tour of Iowa.

© 2003 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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