Kerry seizes on oil allegation

The Democratic candidate hammers at the White House over a reported pact with the Saudis that would lower fuel prices before the election.

LAKE WORTH - John Kerry lambasted as "outrageous and inexcusable" a reported deal between the White House and Saudi Arabia to lower fuel prices before the November election.

Campaigning Monday in Palm Beach County, Kerry jumped on the alleged promise from Saudi Arabia - denied by the White House - that was reported by Bob Woodward, who has a new book about the Bush administration and the buildup to war in Iraq.

If true, the Massachusetts senator said, Bush is letting Americans struggle with higher gas costs until a politically preferable time comes to lower them.

"The American people would have to wait until November of 2004, the presidential election, until the Saudis lower these prices," Kerry told a crowd of more than 600 people at Palm Beach Community College. "Now if that sounds wrong to you, that's because it is fundamentally wrong."

Plan of Attack, the new book by Woodward, assistant managing editor of the Washington Post, presents Democrat Kerry with some new material to use against Bush. It also presents an awkward situation for the president, who spent nearly four hours talking to the famed Watergate reporter.

White House and campaign officials denied several potentially damaging assertions in the book, which has been generating mostly negative publicity for the president so far. But they also touted its overall portrayal of the president. The Bush campaign's Web site even includes a link to buy the book on the Internet.

"It shows the president's decisive. It shows his boldness, his moral clarity," said Ralph Reed, southeastern director for the Bush-Cheney campaign. But he added, "There are a number of things in the book that are not accurate," including the reported promise by Saudi Prince Bandar bin Sultan to "prime the economy" for the election.

Among the controversial revelations denied by the Bush administration were:

that the administration started planning for war in Iraq much earlier than previously acknowledged;

that the decision to go to war was made without consulting a skeptical Secretary of State Colin Powell;

and that the White House diverted $700-million, without Congress' knowledge, for pre-war activities.

Campaigning in South Florida, Kerry hammered hardest at the alleged deal with Prince Bandar, the Saudi ambassador to the United States.

He noted that weeks ago he called for the administration to pressure the Saudis to increase oil production to give Americans relief. He repeated his longtime pledge to push for major new research into alternative and renewable fuels to reduce America's dependence on foreign oil. He wants 20 percent of America's energy to come from such sources by 2020.

At an earlier Palm Beach fundraiser, Kerry also promised to end what he called the administration's "sweetheart relationship with a bunch of Arab countries" that he said allows money to flow to terrorist groups. A spokesman said he was referring mainly to Saudi Arabia.

Kerry spent the morning in Palm Beach County alongside Florida Sen. Bill Nelson and two senators who were opponents in the Democratic presidential primaries, Bob Graham of Florida and Joe Lieberman of Connecticut.

"He had to beat some extremely able people," Lieberman quipped. "Bob Graham and I agree on that."

The Bush campaign released assorted Lieberman quotes criticizing Kerry during the primary, particularly Kerry's stand on the war.

But when a West Palm Beach retiree said she worried that Bush's strong support for Israel was winning over many Jewish voters, Lieberman said no one has a more consistent record as a strong Israel supporter than Kerry.

After a fundraiser Monday night in Atlanta, Kerry was scheduled to spend the night in Tampa and this morning hold a town hall-style meeting and private fundraiser before flying to Miami for another fundraiser. His wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, campaigned and raised money in Daytona Beach and Jacksonville. The three-day Florida campaign swing was expected to raise at least $3-million for the Kerry campaign and the national Democratic Party.

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