Asked about comments from both his campaign and team Bush suggesting that the bin Laden tape gives the president a big boost in the closing days of the campaign, Kerry told Jennings, "I think it's unfortunate that anybody puts Osama bin Laden into any political context in the United States' election."

When reminded that his surrogates were the first to address the bin Laden tape in a political context, Kerry said: "Well, I don't want them doing that. I think that's wrong. I think that every American is outraged at the sight of Osama bin Laden and anything that he says about the American electoral process."

In fact, minutes after Al-Jazeera aired the terror tape, Kerry himself politicized the news, saying that bin Laden's continued survival was the result of Bush "outsourcing" the hunt for the terror chief in December 2001.

Editor's note: