Bush fights back with careful yuks

MAUMEE, Ohio - President Bush is trying to skewer John Kerry with his own words - delighting partisan audiences with a strategy to use humor as a weapon.

As the presidential race heats up, Bush is going for the jugular with jocularity. Hoping to hurt Kerry's campaign without looking hurtful, Bush is not the first politician who tried to strike such a balance.

"Humor can be a very effective way to deliver a negative as long as the jokes are not seen as mean spirited," said Democratic strategist Anita Dunn of Washington. "There is an invisible line that can't be crossed - between lighthearted and poking fun to make a larger point, and something that is just plain mean."

Bush tried to walk that line Tuesday, the final day of a two-day bus tour through Michigan and Ohio. He reminded Republican-leaning crowds that Kerry has suggested that some foreign leaders want him to win the presidency. "He just won't give us their names," Bush said.

Then he quoted Kerry, in the midst of defending his claim, noting that meetings with foreign leaders can take place at restaurants in America. "I got a hunch this whole thing might be a case of mistaken identity," Bush said. He smiled as he delivered his punch line. "Just because somebody has an accent and a nice suit and a good table at a fancy restaurant in New York, doesn't make them a foreign leader."

Bush then drove home his broader point that Kerry is not suited for the presidency at a time of war. "Whoever these mystery men are, they're not going to be deciding this election," he said. "The American people will decide this election."

But even jokes can backfire. Bush drew criticism last month for making light of the government's inability to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

"Clearly, Bush isn't very good at telling jokes," said Kerry spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter. "And if only he had taken the real issues facing the American people more seriously, maybe the nation wouldn't be struggling at home and abroad as much as it is today."

World and national headlines

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times 490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 Contact the Times | Privacy Policy Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright