Bush, Kerry square off over jobs, Iraq
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-09-03 22:31

Democrat John Kerry on Friday called President Bush "unfit to lead this nation," less than an hour after the Republican incumbent promised Americans a victory over terrorism and a strong economy.

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., arrives at a rally in Springfield, Ohio, on Thursday, Sept. 2, 2004. [AP]

"Now that the conventions are over and now that the president has finally finished his speech, I have five words for America," Kerry, the Democratic presidential candidate, told a midnight rally. "This is your wake-up call."

Kerry's appearance in Ohio, a major battleground state in the Nov. 2 presidential election, was an attempt to reclaim the spotlight swiftly after Bush accepted the Republican nomination for another White House term.

Kerry also hit back hard at Vice President Dick Cheney's attacks on his national security credentials. He recalled that five deferments had kept Cheney out of the military draft during the Vietnam War.

Bush, in his acceptance speech on Thursday night, defended the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq as well as his leadership in the war on terror, and he promised to create a safer world.

"We are staying on the offensive -- striking terrorists abroad -- so we do not have to face them here at home," Bush said. "And we will prevail."

In a prime-time televised address that concluded the Republican convention in New York and kicked off a two-month race to the election, Bush offered sharp criticism of Kerry -- but in gentler language than earlier Republican attacks.

"My opponent's policies are dramatically different than ours," Bush said, describing positions on taxes, the war in Iraq and support for U.S. troops.

The president touted his tax cuts, saying they were rejuvenating the economy and restoring lost jobs.

JOBS FIGURES

New Labor Department figures released on Friday showed the U.S. job market brightened in August as employers added 144,000 workers to their payrolls and hiring totals for the two prior months were revised upward. The August unemployment rate dropped to 5.4 percent from 5.5 percent in July, the lowest rate since a matching 5.4 percent in October 2001.

US President George W. Bush speaks on Job Training. The US economy generated 144,000 jobs in August, the Labour Department said, in a sign that the labour market was improving slightly after two sluggish months. [AFP]

The Labor Department said 1.65 million private sector jobs have been lost since Bush took office in January 2001.

Kerry cited the loss of more than 1 million jobs under Bush as one reason the president was "unfit to lead this nation."

"Misleading our nation into war makes you unfit to lead this nation," he said. "Letting 45 million Americans go without health care makes you unfit to lead this nation. I believe it's time to set a new course for America."

Kerry hit back at Cheney by raising the Republican's failure to serve in Vietnam and asking voters to weigh his own two tours of duty against the vice president's deferments.

A decorated Navy lieutenant who commanded gunboats in the Mekong Delta, Kerry bristled at Cheney's attack on his commitment to national security at the convention on Wednesday night and his ability to serve as U.S. commander-in-chief.

"Here's my answer," the Massachusetts senator said. "I'm not going to have my commitment to defend this country questioned by those who refused to serve when they could have and by those who have misled the nation into Iraq."

Neither Bush, who served in the Texas Air National Guard, nor Cheney went to Vietnam. The vice president obtained five deferments and has said he had "other priorities" at the time.

Kerry volunteered for two tours of duty and won three Purple Hearts, a Bronze Star and a Silver Star.

Kerry's decorations -- and his subsequent activism against the Vietnam War -- have been questioned in television ads by a group calling itself Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. The Bush campaign has denied any connection with the organization.

Cheney had launched a withering attack on Kerry, saying he had a "habit of indecision" that would jeopardize national security, that he failed to grasp the dangers of terrorism, refused to support U.S. troops on the battlefield in Iraq and voted outside the Senate mainstream.

Advisers have been urging Kerry to be more combative in defending himself as recent polls show Bush gaining ground.

"We all saw the anger and distortion of the Republican convention," Kerry said. "The vice president even called me unfit for office ... I guess I'll leave it up to the voters whether five deferments makes someone more qualified to defend this nation than two tours of duty."

Kerry and running mate John Edwards launched the two-month sprint to election day in the key state of Ohio, where recent polls give Bush a narrow lead. The president headed to Pennsylvania, another important battleground.

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