W. House sets attack dogs on Kerry as disappearing Dean leaves field clear

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http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/story.jsp?story=486622

By Andrew Buncombe in Charleston, South Carolina
01 February 2004


For six of the seven Democratic hopefuls vying for the nomination to take on George Bush in November there is only one game in town: trying to stop the seventh - John Kerry.

Having been earlier written off as too distant and elitist, and overwhelmed by the surge of support for the former Vermont governor Howard Dean, Mr Kerry is now riding atop a steamroller in the run-up to Tuesday's seven crucial primaries. It is a fair bet that the contest to find a presidential candidate will be over by the end of the week.

With Mr Kerry having won convincing victories in Iowa and New Hampshire, polls released on Friday suggest he now leads the race in Arizona, Missouri and North Dakota. He is in a statistical tie for first place with Senator John Edwards in South Carolina, while he is running a competitive second to retired General Wesley Clark in Oklahoma. Mr Dean may be ahead in New Mexico, but his campaign is flagging and running out of funds, and while Senator Joe Lieberman is expected to win Delaware, the state has only a handful of delegates.

Mr Kerry's trick, it seems, is to present himself as the man with the best chance of beating Mr Bush in what will be a bitterly fought contest. "I saw some of the debate last night and I think John Kerry is the strongest candidate," said Claudia Philips, an insurance executive, as she made her way to work in Columbia, South Carolina's capital, on Friday morning. "I think it is because of his experience. I heard him speak in an earlier debate and he said you had to have experience in Washington if you are going to win."

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