Florida newspapers desert Bush as media swing to Kerry

by Dan Glaister in Los Angeles

President Bush’s campaign in Florida, which handed him victory in 2000, took a blow yesterday when two of the state’s newspapers failed to endorse his candidacy.

The Orlando Sentinel, which has not endorsed a Democrat for president since Lyndon Johnson, opted for John Kerry.

"This president has utterly failed to fulfil our expectations," an editorial said.

"We turn now to his Democratic challenger, Senator John Kerry, with the belief that he is more likely to meet the hopes we once held for Mr Bush."

Another Florida newspaper, the Tampa Tribune, chose not to endorse either candidate. It is the first time since 1952 that the paper has not backed the Republican candidate for the presidency.

Campaigning on Sunday in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Mr Kerry sought to address the criticisms directed at him by some Catholic bishops, who have attacked him for his support of abortion rights.

"I know there are some bishops who have suggested that as a public official I must cast votes or take public positions - on issues like a woman’s right to choose and stem cell research - that carry out the tenets of the Catholic church," he said.

He added: "I love my church; I respect the bishops; but I respectfully disagree. My task, as I see it, is not to write every doctrine into law. That is not possible or right in a pluralistic society."

In Colorado, another swing state, the Denver Post endorsed President Bush, citing the "war on terror" as the crucial issue. In 2000 it backed Al Gore, but despite misgivings about Mr Bush’s performance since taking office, it decided to endorse Mr Bush.

"Decisiveness is a crucial characteristic in the showdown with the nation’s elusive enemies," an editorial in the paper said. "We believe he meets the test, and we aren’t sure about John Kerry."

In a pre-recorded television interview due to be broadcast today, Mr Bush pushed home his message that America needed to stay on the offensive in the war on terror.

"Whether or not we can be ever fully safe is up - you know, is up in the air," he told Fox News. "I would hope we could make it a lot more safe by staying on the offensive."

The Washington Post came out for Mr Kerry yesterday, albeit with reservations.

"On balance," the paper said, "we believe Mr Kerry, with his promise of resoluteness tempered by wisdom and open-mindedness, has staked a stronger claim on the nation’s trust to lead for the next four years.

"We do not view a vote for Mr Kerry as a vote without risks. But the risks on the other side are well known, and the strengths Mr Kerry brings are considerable.

"He pledges both to fight in Iraq and to reach out to allies; to hunt down terrorists, and to engage without arrogance the Islamic world. These are the right goals, and we think Mr Kerry is the better bet to achieve them."

Mr Kerry’s camp claimed that 113 daily newspapers with a total of 14.4m readers had endorsed the Kerry-Edwards ticket, 27 of which endorsed Mr Bush in 2000 - including Mr Bush’s local Crawford paper, the Lone Star Iconoclast.

Mr Bush had received endorsements from only 70 daily newspapers with circulation of 8.6m.

Former president Bill Clinton, who has been recovering from a quadruple heart bypass operation, is due to join the Kerry campaign for an event in Philadelphia today.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uselections2004/story/0,13918,1335274,00.html?gusrc=rss