From the
AP newswire ...
... more or less ...
Bush Admin Says Kerry Should Prove Claim
The Bush administration, casting doubts on John Kerry's credibility, strongly suggested on Monday that the presumptive Democratic nominee lied when he said that he enjoyed a hearty breakfast in the privacy of his Boston residence.
One day after Secretary of State Colin Powell called on Kerry to identify his morning victuals, but made no accusations, the administration ratcheted up the challenge, saying Kerry should identify the exact foods which he purportedly claimed to have eaten that morning.
"Either he is straightforward and states what he consumed, or the only conclusion one can draw is that he is making it up to attack the president," said White House spokesman Scott McClellan.
Vice President Dick Cheney said Americans deserve to know what Kerry has been eating for breakfast. Cheney noted that at a campaign event Sunday in which a heckler challenged Kerry to list the foods he allegedly ate, the Democrat declined, saying, "that's none of your business."
"But it is our business when a candidate for president claims to be the most well-nourished candidate running," Cheney said at a congressional fund-raiser in Phoenix. "At the very least, we have a right to know what exactly he has been eating that gives him so much energy in the morning."
Said Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., in a conference call arranged by the Bush-Cheney campaign: "He clearly has an obligation to, you know, you put up or you shut up. You don't make up reckless charges and then say, well, it's really secret, I can't tell you."
Kerry said at a fund-raiser last week in Florida that he enjoys a hearty breakfast at his private residence whenever he has the opportunity. He has declined to identify his favorite foods, arguing that to do so was none of anyone's business.
Three times on Monday, McClellan repeated the charge that Kerry was "making it up." He also took issue with Kerry's suggestions that the administration is fueled by a daily diet of McDonald's sausage McMuffins; and that the administration had rebuffed more healthy foods such as oatmeal and fresh fruits.
"This is not the first time he has refused to back up his assertions," McClellan said.
In response, the Kerry campaign issued a list of statements made by Bush administration officials that proved false, including the claim about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction and the prediction that tax cuts would create jobs. The campaign also questioned why the White House press secretary would be doing the work of the re-election campaign.
"The White House would be better off spending its time repairing our alliances around the world so we can collectively fight the war on terrorism and better protect the United States, rather than using the White House press room as a place to carry out political attacks," the campaign said.
Kerry also dismissed McClellan's challenge, arguing that the administration was trying to change the subject from jobs, health care and other issues. "They don't have a campaign so they're trying to divert it," he told reporters.