Top Democratic candidates swapped last-minute charges of smear tactics as polls pointed to a close Iowa caucus finish in the first test of the US presidential campaign.
"I'm in full combat mode," Howard Dean, the former Vermont governor, said on Saturday, delivering a self-appraisal that applied no less to his main rivals Dick Gephardt, John Kerry and John Edwards as they charged across the midwestern state before today's caucus.
Statewide polls suggested a tight four-way finish when caucus-goers gather in 1,993 precincts across the state in a vote that will set the Democratic Party on the path to select a nominee to run against US President George W. Bush, a Republican, in November's election.
PHOTO: AP
All four of the major rivals made multiple stops during the day. Gephardt, a representative from neighboring Missouri, made seven stops as he struggled to avoid a loss that aides said could spell the end of his long political career.
Kerry, a Massachusetts senator who has gained ground in recent polls, held an emotional reunion with a fellow Vietnam veteran whose life he saved in combat 35 years ago.
"He could have been shot and killed at any time," said Jim Rassmann. "I figure I owe him my life."
For his part, Edwards said he had received reports of middle-of-the-night phone calls by people "representing themselves as part of our campaign. Which is false."
"This is just completely negative campaigning consistent with what we've seen so far," added the North Carolina senator, hoping for an upset.
All four contenders invoked the ghosts of Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman and John Kennedy during the day, vying for acceptance as the one rightful political heir to past Democratic presidents.
After Iowa, the campaign moves to New Hampshire, where retired Army General Wesley Clark -- who is not competing in Iowa -- is coming under close scrutiny because of his surge in polls there.
The final television commercials were upbeat, as well, including one from Edwards that relied on the written word -- rather than the spoken one -- to make its point. "To all those who stood up, listened and spoke out. Made us laugh, question, think and believe a positive vision of hope and new ideas can change America. Your time is now," rolled across the screen.
But the niceties ended there in a race so unpredictable that the last round of polls differed on which contender led, and found a narrow point spread among the four.
Kerry said Dean and Gephardt were trying to dampen his momentum in the agriculture-conscious state with a "smear effort" that distorted his record on farm issues. On Friday, the two rival campaigns provided reporters with comments Kerry made five years ago, indicating he would scale back the Department of Agriculture and revamp farm subsidies.
Kerry said during the day he would change the subsidy program, not end it. But Erik Smith, a spokesman for Gephardt dismissed the charge, adding the Massachusetts senator has "been sending negative mail on Gephardt for weeks."
Kerry's campaign, too, stood accused of unsavory campaign practices. Aides to Dean -- who support has slipped in recent surveys -- said at least one of their voters had received a badgering phone call from a Kerry supporter who called the former Vermont governor an "environmental racist."
Stephanie Cutter, a spokeswoman for Kerry, said the call was an "isolated incident" caused by overzealousness on the part of a young volunteer. She said he had been asked to leave the campaign, and was writing a letter of apology to the woman he called.
Tomorrow night's State of the Union message by Bush assures him of massive media coverage, in time to quickly dim any glow that the Democratic caucus winner receives.
Republican aides said Bush would use his speech to argue that he has made Americans more prosperous and secure, citing the rising stock market, the growing economy and Saddam Hussein's capture.
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