Kerry Opens New Attacks Against Dean [View All]

[Feanorcurufinwe]

Democrat John Kerry (news - web sites) accused presidential rival Howard Dean (news - web sites) of lacking principles and flip-flopping on key issues Thursday, hoping to convert the front-runner's fumble over the Confederate flag into a sweeping indictment of Dean's policies and personality.

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Kerry said Dean's shift on gun policy fits a pattern in which the former governor has changed his views on a number of issues since the 1990s, including Social Security, Medicare, trade and public financing of elections. Dean held relatively moderate views as governor, and now is more in line with traditional Democrats who vote in the primaries.

"It's not enough just to switch your positions in the presidential race," Kerry said. "These are issues of principle."

On one of those issues, however, Dean and Kerry are carbon copies. Both candidates have long claimed to support public financing of elections, but now Dean is poised to opt out of the federal system and Kerry said he may follow suit.

"If he gets out, he invites somebody else to get out," Kerry said.
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