ST LOUIS, Missouri, Sept 10 (AFP) - Democratic White House challenger John Kerry on Friday accused President George W. Bush's administration of trying to scare Americans over the war on terror.
Speaking on the eve of commemorations for the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington, Kerry said the battle against terrorism should be more than a political battle in the United States.
Kerry told an election rally in St Louis, Missouri that the administration was "talking about the war on terror, trying to scare Americans.
"It is real, we've got a war, we've got a problem but we should do more than just talk about it, try to scare people about it and make it a political issue," Kerry charged.
Kerry has repeatedly said he would conduct a more "sensitive" war on terror than Bush. But Republican leaders have gone on the offensive over Kerry's ability to defend the United States.
Vice President Dick Cheney said Tuesday that there would be a greater risk of a major new attack on the United States if US voters made the "wrong choice" in the November 2 presidential election.
John Edwards, Kerry's vice presidential running mate, accused Cheney of using "scare tactics" in the election campaign.