| Kerry and The Boss draw big turnout (29/10/2004) |
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| MADISON, United States (AFP) John Kerry, fronted by rock legend Bruce Springsteen, mustered the biggest rally of his presidential drive as both sides rolled out the star power in the final days of their ultra-tight race. At least 80,000 people turned out to rock with the Democrat and The Boss in this key midwestern state, adding high-octane harmonics to the leaden drumbeat of attacks on Iraq that Kerry exchanged anew with President George W. Bush. On Friday, Bush will counter with two celebrities of his own, baseball pitching ace Curt Schilling, fresh off a thrilling championship run by the Boston Red Sox, and Hollywood star cum California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Kerry and Bush made a final push in crucial battleground states ahead of Tuesday's election, scratching for last-minute votes in a race that looks likely to careen to a photo finish like in 2000. As usual, Ira q provided the fodder for a new round of rhetoric Thursday as the Democratic senator from Massachusetts kept up his four-day-old offensive over the reported disappearance of 350 tonnes of high-grade explosives. Kerry, stumping in the critical state of Ohio, said the Republican's buck-passing refusal to own up to responsibility made him an unfit tenant of the Oval Office. "The president's shifting explanations and excuses and attacks on me demonstrate once again that this president believes the buck stops everywhere but with the president of the United States," he said. Bush, who also stopped in Ohio, branded Kerry the "wrong man for the wrong job" and warned that the senator risked emboldening US enemies in Iraq by a "willingness to trade principle for political convenience." "What does that lack of conviction say to our troops, who are risking their lives in a vital cause? What does it say to our allies, who have joined that cause? What does that l ack of conviction signal to our enemies?" "That if you make things uncomfortable, if you stir up trouble, John Kerry will back off. And that's a very dangerous signal in a world of grave threats," the president said. But Kerry was clearly pumped up by his appearance with Springsteen at the Wisconsin state capitol building in Madison, also a progressive college town, where the candidate slapped palms and punched the air before the cheering throng. Springsteen, clad in a simple dark jacket and blue pants for one of his rare forays into campaign politics, painted Kerry as a champion of the working folk and mythic America of his songs. "The future is now, and it's time to let our passions loose," said Springsteen, strumming his black acoustic guitar before launching into his hit "No Surrender" which Kerry has adopted as his political anthem. Fire officials said at least 80,000 people showed up. Kerry aides said the rally was the largest of the campaig n, surpassing the crowd that turned out Monday to see former president Bill Clinton with the candidate in Philadelphia. Springsteen later joined Kerry back in the Ohio state capital of Columbus, where the brawny Schwarzenegger was to stump Friday with Bush despite their acknowledged differences over issues ranging from abortion to gun control. Perhaps the unkindest cut for Kerry will be the defection of Schilling, the baseball pitching star who helped propel the candidate's beloved Red Sox to their first World Series championship in 86 years this week. Schilling signed off an ABC television interview with: "Make sure you tell everybody to vote, and vote Bush next week." The Republicans later said he would stump with the president Friday in the northeastern state of New Hampshire. New polls Thursday, meanwhile, suggested that Bush and Kerry could be headed toward a split of key swing states, further clouding next week's unpredictable ballot. Th e surveys showed Bush leading in the southeastern state of Florida, which was pivotal in 2000. Kerry appeared to be making a move in Ohio while clinging to a small edge in the eastern state of Pennsylvania. Tracking polls Thursday put the candidates in a virtual tie. The Washington Post gave Bush a statistically insignificant 49-48 percent lead, Zogby International had him on top 48-47 percent and Rasmussen put the president's edge at 49-47 percent. | ||
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