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Monday, March 29, 2004

While stressing that he is still a competitor in the race, the independent presidential hopeful said Sunday he viewed his candidacy as a "second front against Bush, however small."

After a speech on the environment at Georgia State University, Nader attacked Bush as "a giant corporation residing in the White House camouflaging as a human being."

"George W. Bush's values are corporate values," Nader told reporters. He said the administration "should spend more time waging peace ... than waging a military conflict."

At the same time, Nader prodded Kerry, the Democrats' presumptive presidential nominee, to push traditional Democrat values of helping working families. He said the Democrats in general needed to be reminded of that.

He did not elaborate on the meeting he plans with the U.S. senator, and there was no immediate response from the Kerry campaign.

In response to Nader's comments, Bush campaign spokesman Reed Dickens said Bush welcomed debate with Nader and Kerry.

"There's going to be a clear choice come November between the president's positive agenda of removing the barriers to growth in order to move the economy forward or raising taxes on the American people, a choice between being strong in the face of terror or backward-looking policies that view the war on terrorism as a law-enforcement effort," Dickens said.

Nader, who garnered 3 percent of the vote nationally as the Green Party's nominee in the 2000 presidential election, is an even longer shot to win in November because of difficulties getting on many state ballots as an independent.

Democrats have criticized Nader for his campaign four years ago and have suggested that he siphoned critical votes away from former Vice President Al Gore. Some, including former President Jimmy Carter, worry the same thing could happen this year and have urged Nader to avoid a candidacy that might ensure Bush's re-election.

Nader said Sunday he believed if anything he would take away votes that were meant for Bush because more people are fed up with high budget deficits and Bush's economic policies.

"Members of the other party usually come back to the fold during the next election year," Nader said of Democrats.

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