By Glen Johnson, Globe Staff | May 9, 2004
PHOENIX -- For a candidate accused of searching for a message, the challenge was no clearer than it was Friday, as John F. Kerry stood at a podium here outlining his vision for the general election campaign, while a television in the nearby media filing center carried a live broadcast of Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld apologizing for US soldiers' abuse of Iraqi prisoners.
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Yet in recent days, there has been evidence that Kerry is not only finding a message, but also an audience. In an address to the Democratic Leadership Council, which prides itself as the party's centrist core, the Massachusetts senator delivered a stinging indictment of the administration's leadership and said that in contrast to Bush, he has been developing plans to deal with major issues confronting Americans. These include ways to expand health care to all Americans, strengthen the economy through public works and tax reform, and improve public education by increasing teacher pay and accountability.
''In the year 2000, when John McCain had him on the run, George Bush made up a slogan, 'Reformer With Results.' And four years later, Americans are still waiting to see the reform, but I'll tell you this: They've had enough of the results," Kerry said to the group in Phoenix.
Two days earlier in Los Angeles, Kerry offered a variant of the theme when asked whether his campaign was adrift. ''George Bush -- sure he can make decisions and lead -- but look at the direction he's taking us," he told reporters during a news conference.
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http://www.boston.com/news/politics/president/articles/2004/05/09/a_kerry_message_starts_to_break_through