US: Democratic front-runner John Kerry has challenged US President George Bush to enter into a truce and have a debate once a month between now and the presidential election in November rather than engage in tit-for-tat attacks, writes Conor O'Clery in New York
"Americans shouldn't have to put up with eight months of sniping," he said on Saturday, suggesting "a real discussion about America's future". A spokesman for the Bush campaign dismissed the idea, which comes after a week when both sides ran TV advertisements attacking each other, saying that the Massachusetts senator was largely responsible for the campaign's tenor.
"After calling Republicans crooks and liars, running 17 negative ads over 15,000 times and spending $6.3 million attacking the president, John Kerry is calling for a civil debate on the issues," the spokesman said. "John Kerry should finish the debate with himself."
Mr Kerry wrapped up the Democratic nomination on Saturday, winning the Kansas caucus and pushing his total of delegates to 32 more than that needed for a majority, according to a count by the Associated Press.