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Kerry wins Ill. primary, says he's the 'veteran's veteran'

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry promised to be a "veteran's veteran" Tuesday as the White House tried to sour his support among a key constituency by airing a commercial accusing him of rejecting funding for soldiers at war in Iraq.

Kerry warned an audience of veterans that President Bush has misled the country on everything from the war to the economy and had broken promises to veterans needing health care.

From the Oval Office on Tuesday, Bush questioned Kerry's own truthfulness by calling for him to identify the world leaders Kerry has said would rather see him as president.

The Massachusetts Democrat later went to Charleston to accept his near-uncontested win in the Illinois primary, which his campaign says gives him the delegates needed to mathematically clinch the nomination.

Kerry will claim that prize at the Democratic convention in Boston this summer.

With 85 percent of precincts reporting, Kerry had 742,896 votes, or 72 percent. John Edwards garnered 11 percent, Carol Moseley Braun 5 percent, Howard Dean 4 percent and Al Sharpton 3 percent. Fifteen percent of the vote is required in Illinois to earn a delegate. That meant Kerry picked up all 54 delegates awarded in the primary.

By winning, Kerry boosted his delegate total to at least 2,252, well past the 2,162 needed to secure the nomination at the convention in July.

The primary win was one bright spot during a series of tough days for Kerry. He came under an assault from Republicans from Bush on down after refusing to name the world leaders he was quoted as saying privately support his campaign.

The reporter now says he made a mistake in transcribing the statement.

Patrick Healy, a Boston Globe reporter, had quoted Kerry as saying: "I've met foreign leaders who can't go out and say this publicly, but, boy, they look at you and say, "You have got to win this; you have got to beat this guy; we need a new policy.' Things like that."

On Monday, he sent out a corrected transcript, clarifying that the quotation, in which Kerry discussed his travels abroad, actually began, "I've met more leaders who can't go out and say it all publicly." His campaign argues that could have been anyone, not just heads of state, the Los Angeles Times reports.

For the second day in a row, Vice President Dick Cheney criticized Kerry at a Republican fundraiser.

"We are the ones who get to determine the outcome of this election, not unnamed foreign leaders," Cheney told donors at a benefit for Rep. Bob Beauprez, R-Colo.

Howard Dean, Kerry's former rival, said it was "silly" for Bush to suggest Kerry reveal names, "given the proclivity of this administration to threaten those both home and abroad who are candid."

WASHINGTON - Former President Bill Clinton and a cast of other Democratic heavyweights began an Internet-based drive on Tuesday to raise $10-million for Sen. John Kerry in the next 10 days.

Harnessing top-name Democrats to solicit contributions using e-mail, the drive comes as Kerry is ramping up his efforts to collect $80-million by the Democratic National Convention this summer.

- Information from the New York Times and Los Angeles Times was used in this report.