US: For several days the Bush administration has been attacking Senator John Kerry over a reported remark by the Democratic presidential candidate that "foreign leaders" had encouraged him to defeat President George Bush, writes Conor O'Clery in New York
Now it turns out that Mr Kerry was misquoted by a pool reporter acting for several newspapers, and that while he cited "leaders" he did not use the word "foreign".
The Massachusetts senator made his comment in Florida on March 8th, and this week it became the subject of charges and countercharges in an increasingly heated campaign.
On Monday the White House spokesman, Mr Scott McClellan, strongly suggested that Mr Kerry lied. "Either he is straightforward and states who they are, or the only conclusion one can draw is that he is making it up to attack the President," he told reporters.
Vice-President Dick Cheney noted at a campaign event in Phoenix that Mr Kerry had rebuffed a Republican heckler who demanded the names of the foreign leaders by stating that it was none of his business.
"But it is our business when a candidate for president claims the political endorsement of foreign leaders," said Mr Cheney. "At the very least, we have a right to know what he is saying to them that makes them so supportive of his candidacy."
Mr Kerry was originally quoted as saying: "I've met with foreign leaders who can't go out and say this publicly. But boy, they look at you and say, 'You've got to win this. You've got to beat this guy. We need a new policy'."
Yesterday the Boston Globe admitted that its reporter had made a mistake. He had listened again to the tape and established that Mr Kerry used the word "more" rather than "foreign".
Mr Kerry said he stood by his statement. Some countries were "deeply divided about our foreign policy. We have lost respect and influence in the world".
An opinion yesterday suggested that Mr Ralph Nader's independent presidential bid represents a serious threat to Mr Kerry. The New York Times and CBS News poll revealed a tight two-man race between President Bush and Mr Kerry, with Mr Bush leading by just 3 per cent. But when the option of voting for Mr Nader was introduced, he attracted 7 per cent support, mostly at the expense of Mr Kerry. In that contest, Mr Bush led Mr Kerry by 46 to 38 per cent. - (The Guardian)