A war over war: Bush, Kerry clash over Iraq, terrorism

CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Sen. John Kerry accused President Bush Thursday night of a "colossal error in judgment" in ordering the invasion of Iraq. "The world is better off without Saddam Hussein," the president shot back in the campaign debate, adding his rival once said so himself.

"I agree with him," Bush jabbed sarcastically at a challenger he depicts as prone to flip-flops.

In a 90-minute debate dominated by a war that has claimed more than 1,000 American lives, Kerry called the conflict a diversion in the broader struggle against terror and the hunt for Osama bin Laden.

The four-term Massachusetts senator said he could do a better job than Bush of protecting the nation against another Sept. 11-style attack and pledged to be strong and resolute in fighting terrorism.

"But we also have to be smart . . . and smart means not diverting our attention from the war on terror and taking it off to Iraq," Kerry said.

"This president, I don't know if he really sees what's happening over there" in Iraq, Kerry said of Bush, standing 10 feet away on a University of Miami debate stage.

Bush swiftly returned to his theme of Kerry as a man who changes his mind too often to be president.

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"He voted to authorize the use of force and now says it's the wrong war at the wrong time. . . . I don't think you can lead if you say wrong war, wrong time, wrong place. What message does that send to our troops?" said the Republican seeking a second term in the White House.

The debate unfolded less than five weeks before the election, with polls showing Bush with a narrow lead and several battleground states exceedingly close. Even some Democrats said the debate, with a national television audience in the tens of millions, represented Kerry's best chance to gain late-campaign momentum.

Three post-debate polls suggested that voters' first impressions were good for Kerry, with most of those surveyed saying he did better than Bush. Such instant polls reflect the views of debate watchers and not the public at large. Initial reactions to a debate can change after a few days have passed.

Both men used well-rehearsed lines during their face-to-face encounter, but this was the first time each had to listen to the criticism at close quarters.