Presidential Candidates Spar Over Terrorism

GWEN IFILL:

Few issues provide as stark a contrast between President Bush and Sen. Kerry than how government should cope with terrorism.

For President Bush, it is a war on terror, an open-ended and necessary call for constant awareness and preemptive action, where needed, to protect Americans in a dangerous world. Both men addressed the issue while campaigning today. President Bush was in New Jersey.

PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH:

My opponent has a fundamental misunderstanding of the war on terror.

GROUP:

Yeah!

PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH:

He has said this war is primarily an intelligence and law enforcement operation. (Audience boos) He has declared we should not respond to threats until they are "imminent." He says that preemptive action is unwise, not only against regimes but even against terrorist organizations. Sen. Kerry's approach would permit a response only after America is hit.

This kind of Sept. 10 attitude is no way to protect our country. (Applause)

GWEN IFILL:

Sen. Kerry argues that the president has taken his eye off the ball in the war on terror, pursuing a misguided war in Iraq instead of tracking down Osama bin Laden. He spoke in Florida.

SEN. JOHN KERRY:

As president, I will never take my eye off the real enemy: Osama bin Laden, al-Qaida and other terrorists that threaten America and our allies. America, I will fight a smarter, more effective, tougher war on terror.

We will hunt down and capture and kill the terrorists, no matter where they are. But we will conduct the critical diplomacy this administration has failed to do. We will bring allies to our side, because that's how you make America strongest. And let me make this crystal clear: Just because President Bush couldn't do it, doesn't mean it can't be done. It can be done. (Applause)

GWEN IFILL:

The dispute between the two major candidates has spilled into all areas of the campaign. On the airwaves, both campaigns have released new ads this week, pointing up the other's perceived shortcomings.

AD SPOKESPERSON:

In Iraq, American troops are attacked 87 times a day. At home, the Bush administration has acquired just 530 doses of licensed anthrax vaccine for America's civilian population.

In Afghanistan, the Bush administration relied on Afghan warlords to go after Osama bin Laden. He got away. Bush said, "I don't spend that much time on him, I truly am not that concerned about him." It's time for a new direction.

AD SPOKESMAN (Bush Campaign Ad):

After Sept. 11, our world changed. Either we fight terrorists abroad or face them here. John Kerry and liberals in Congress have a different view.

They opposed Reagan as he won the Cold War, voted against the first Gulf War, voted to slash intelligence after the first Trade Center attack, repeatedly opposed weapons vital to winning the war on terror. John Kerry and his liberal allies: Are they a risk we can afford to take today?

GWEN IFILL:

In last week's New York Times, Sen. Kerry was quoted as saying terrorists should not be the "focus of our lives," but a "nuisance." "It's something that you continue to fight," he said, "but it's not threatening the fabric of your life." President Bush said Sen. Kerry's words proved he would be weak on terrorism.

PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH:

See, I couldn't disagree more. Our goal is not to reduce terror to some acceptable level of "nuisance."

GWEN IFILL:

The debate over terror was a recurring theme in each of the three presidential debates. And with states like New Jersey– where nearly 700 residents died in the 9/11 attacks– suddenly in play, it is a debate that could tip the electoral balance as well.