Democratic White House challenger John Kerry accused US President George W. Bush on Wednesday of being more interested in election-year photo opportunities than providing funds to defend against another Sept. 11-type attack.
Kerry used the new concerns this week about a possible attack on the US before the November presidential election to step up his criticism of Bush, who has hoped to make his war on terror a centerpiece of his re-election campaign.
The Massachusetts senator blamed Bush for inadequately secured ports, chemical plants and nuclear facilities, underfunded fire stations and cutbacks in a federal program designed to put more police on the street.
"We deserve a president of the United States who doesn't make homeland security a photo opportunity and the rhetoric of a campaign," Kerry told a rainy-day rally of a few thousand people in Seattle.
"We deserve a president who makes America safer," Kerry declared, drawing sustained applause and cheers.
"We should not be opening firehouses in Baghdad and shutting them in the United States of America," Kerry said.
Kerry admitted the US could not protect every potential target, but added: "What we can do is protect against catastrophe. What we can do is protect those places that are the most logical places for the largest potential damage."
He complained that Bush, who has repeatedly cut taxes to the delight of fellow conservatives, had failed to provide states and localities with the money they needed to do their job.
"We deserve a president who puts American taxpayer dollars where the need is, not just where the ideology wants it to go," Kerry said.
Steve Schmidt, a Bush campaign spokesman, dismissed Kerry's attacks as "baseless and factually inaccurate."
Since 2001, Schmidt said, "President Bush has distributed more than US$13 billion to state and local law enforcement" for anti-terror efforts.
Kerry made the remarks the day before what aides say will be a major address in Seattle on foreign policy, national security and the war in Iraq.
Polls show Kerry running about even with or slightly ahead of Bush in the White House race.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College