Bush takes aim at Kerry
Bush-Cheney 2004 ads to begin airing Thursday
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President Bush addresses a crowd during a Bush-Cheney 2004 fund-raiser at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California.
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LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Now that an apparent Democratic nominee has emerged in mid-primary season, President Bush drew his sharpest distinctions yet with Sen. John Kerry on Wednesday night, saying he looks forward "to setting the alternatives squarely before the American people" in the upcoming presidential campaign.
"This should be an interesting debate on the issues. He's spent two decades in Congress. He's built up quite a record," Bush said of Kerry at a fund-raiser in Los Angeles.
"In fact, Senator Kerry's been in Washington long enough to take both sides on just about every issue."
The president said the choice in November will be "between an America that leads the world with strength and confidence, or an America that is uncertain in the face of danger."
"The man who sits in the Oval Office will set the course of the war on terror and the direction of our economy," Bush said.
"My opponent hasn't offered much in the way of strategies to win the war, or policies to expand our economy. So far, all we hear from that side is a lot of old bitterness and partisan anger."
"Anger is not an agenda for the future of America."
Bush's speech came the night after Kerry became the likeliest man to gain the Democratic nomination -- and the night before the president's campaign launches its first television salvo, $4 million worth of positive spots touting Bush as a steady leader in uncertain times. (CNN's John King on Kerry's new challenges)
The ads tout Bush's leadership and note the difficulties of the past three years, including a recession, the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. (Ads tout 'steady leadership')
However, some of the families of September 11 victims have reportedly criticized the decision to use images of the wreckage of the World Trade Center in the spots.
"It's as sick as people who stole things out of the place," Firefighter Tommy Fee of Queens Rescue Squad 270 told The Associated Press. "The image of firefighters at ground zero should not be used for this stuff, for politics." (Full story)
Bush advisor Karen Hughes on Thursday defended the ads Thursday on CNN's "American Morning."
"I respectfully, completely disagree Your viewers saw the ad. I think it's very tasteful. It's a reminder of our shared experience as a nation," she said. "I mean September 11th is not just some distant tragedy from the past, it really defined our future."
In his speech Wednesday, Bush defended his record in the war on terrorism and the economy, saying the tax cuts he pushed through Congress have helped turn the country in the right economic direction.
Alluding to Kerry's call for repealing some of those tax cuts, Bush said "the voters will have a very clear choice this year between keeping the tax relief that is moving this country forward, or putting the burden of higher taxes back on the American people."
"My opponent has plans for those tax cuts. He wants to take them away, and he would use that money to expand the federal government," Bush said.
"I have a better idea. To keep this economy growing and to create jobs, the tax cuts must be permanent."
Kerry has called for eliminating the tax cuts that target higher-income taxpayers, although he said he would keep those geared to the middle class. Bush has been urging Congress to make the cuts -- some of which are set to expire by decade's end -- permanent.
During the Democratic primary campaign, Bush was hit hard and often over the loss of more than 2 million jobs during his administration, with his opponents also expressing concern about the flight of jobs overseas under free trade agreements.
Bush hit back Wednesday, saying that "empty talk about jobs and economic isolation won't get anyone hired."
"The way to create jobs is our pro-growth, pro-entrepreneur agenda."
Charging Kerry is against personal retirement accounts as part of Social Security, Medicare reform and tax cuts, the president said the senator "seems to be against every idea that gives Americans more authority, more choices and more control over our own lives."
On national security, Bush chided Kerry for his criticism of the president's handling of the Iraq war, saying Kerry "admits that Saddam Hussein was a threat. He just didn't support my decision to remove Saddam from power."
"My opponent says he approves of bold action in the world, but only if other countries don't object," Bush said. "America must never outsource America's national security decisions to leaders of other countries."
He also criticized Kerry for suggesting that the war on terrorism would be better handled as a law enforcement and intelligence matter, rather than as a war.
"After the chaos and carnage of September 11, it is not enough to serve our enemies with legal papers," Bush said.
Bush raised $800,000 at his evening appearance in Los Angeles, adding to a war chest that tops $140 million.
He also indicated that his campaign would spend time and effort in California this fall, despite the state's Democratic tendencies.
"By electing Arnold Schwarzenegger as governor, the voters of California have shown that no party can take this state for granted," Bush said. "The vice president and I are going to be spending some quality time in the state of California."
CNN's Dana Bash contributed to this report.
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Associated Press contributed to this report.
