WASHINGTON, Oct. 11 (UPI) -- A new Bush ad Monday attacking Sen. John Kerry for likening terrorism to gambling and prostitution was a sign of desperation, a Kerry spokesman said.
"There are beads of desperation forming on their brow," Phil Singer told UPI. "They are trying to avoid a discussion of their domestic record ...."
Kerry was quoted in the New York Times Sunday Magazine as saying he would relentlessly pursue terrorists militarily, but "We have to get back to the place we were, where terrorists are not the focus of our lives, but they're a nuisance."
As with prostitution or gambling you could never end it, but it could be reduced so "it isn't threatening people's lives every day, and fundamentally, it's something that you continue to fight, but it's not threatening the fabric of your life."
President Bush's campaign highlighted the nuisance comment and said it proved Kerry approached terrorism with a pre-Sept. 11 mind set, adding "How can Kerry protect us when he doesn't understand the threat?"
Kerry has relentlessly attacked Bush on the war on terror -- Bush's strong point with the public -- by saying the war on Iraq had diverted attention from it and left America vulnerable to new attacks.
