Kerry: Chemical plants at risk

Kerry suggested there could be an attack before the November election.
COMBINED DISPATCHES
PHILADELPHIA -- Amid warnings that another devastating terrorist attack on the United States could be imminent, Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry accused President Bush on Thursday of leaving the nation's chemical plants vulnerable because of his political ties to the industry.
"I wish their policies were in touch with the tough rhetoric that you keep hearing," Kerry told the National Conference of Black Mayors. "What are we waiting for? Instead of misleading us about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, they ought to lead this nation to take every step to prevent one of our own chemical plants from being turned into a weapon of mass destruction against our own people."
Kerry painted a bleak picture of the danger facing Americans and suggested there could be an attack before the November election. He said every report out of Washington shows that it's not a matter of whether there will be another terrorist attack, but when.
"So if we know it's a matter of when, then when are we going to stop pretending that all has been accomplished in our shared mission to keep America safe?" he asked. "When are we going to start dealing with dangers that we still know exist in this country?"
Raised $1.5 million
Kerry emerged from a quick swing through the battleground state of Pennsylvania with $1.5 million to add to his campaign war chest, officials said.
At fund-raisers and public events in Philadelphia and Harrisburg on Thursday, Kerry also excoriated Bush's administration for what Kerry described as failed policies on jobs and the economy, international affairs, health care, education and the environment.
Kerry drew raucous applause when he blamed those policies of the Republican incumbent for the loss of nearly 3 million jobs, the erosion of the nation's manufacturing base and the addition of 4 million more Americans to the ranks of the uninsured.
"When you add it all up, I believe, with all due respect ... the one person in America who should be laid off is George W. Bush," Kerry told about 300 supporters at a fund-raiser in Harrisburg's new Civil War museum Thursday night.
"Of all the presidents with the name Bush, I would rank this president's economic policy in the top two," Kerry said, citing the loss of 2.8 million jobs since January 2001. "An economic recovery without jobs is no economic recovery at all for Americans."
Sees vulnerabilities
At the National Conference of Black Mayors, Kerry said not all attacks can be prevented because terrorists who are willing to risk their lives are impossible to stop. But he said he has a plan for many vulnerabilities that the Bush administration has not addressed -- U.S. ports are not secure enough to prevent nuclear material from arriving by ship, the country's borders are wide open, and the FBI does not share vital information with local officials about suspected terrorists.
The mayors applauded loudly when Kerry said the Bush administration is asking them to protect the homeland, then sticking them with the bill.
The Bush campaign said the administration is doing almost everything that Kerry proposes to protect chemical sites.
"John Kerry has played politics with homeland security throughout this campaign, and today he is doing it again," Bush spokesman Steve Schmidt said. "John Kerry voted against the Department of Homeland Security six times and wants to weaken the Patriot Act. His speech today is not a credible alternative but a retread of policies that the president has already advocated."
Bush's ties to industry
Kerry said Bush has accommodated the chemical industry, which favors voluntary efforts to improve security, because of campaign contributions from executives.
The Kerry campaign cited pledges to Bush during 2000 and 2004 of at least $1.5 million from 15 fund-raisers it said were tied to the chemical industry. The campaign also cited nearly $6.5 million in soft-money contributions -- corporate, union or unlimited donations -- from the industry to Republicans during the 2000 and 2002 campaigns.
"This administration unfortunately has been unwilling to take these steps because they have sided with the chemical industry that pushes back," Kerry said. "We don't care who they're writing campaign checks to. It's time for them to make America stronger."