TIPTON, Iowa, Oct 5 (AFP) - Democratic challenger John Kerry Tuesday sharpened his attack on President George W. Bush over Iraq, pouncing on a former top official's admission that the United States had not deployed enough troops there.
Kerry seized on the remarks by former US administration in Iraq Paul Bremer, and also comments by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld that he had not seen any convincing evidence linking Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein to Al-Qaeda.
He singled out Vice President Dick Cheney for special criticism, hours before the vice president is due to clash with Democratic running mate John Edwards in a debate in Cleveland.
"Behind the scenes in all these discussions and presentations is Dick Cheney," Kerry said in a news conference against a backdrop of an Iowa farm and cornfield.
"It is time for the Vice President to be accountable and answer the questions that have arisen."
Earlier, Kerry, in a sign that his campaign considers Cheney a liability for the Republicans, said "I hope tonight Mr. Cheney can acknowledge those mistakes, I hope Mr. Cheney can take responsibility."
He accused Bush and Cheney of making "wrong judgement, after wrong judgement, after wrong judgement" in Iraq, and the US anti-terror campaign.
Bremer said Monday that the United States "never" had enough ground troops in Iraq to establish firm control, contradicting assertions by Bush and top Pentagon officials that the US military had what was needed.
Kerry also took aim at Rumsfeld, to build his argument that the Iraq war and its aftermath was riddled with mistakes by the administration.
"Remember the secretary of defense talking about looting? Remember his attitude? 'Oh well, looting happens.'
"You run down the list of mistakes. There was 850,000 tonnes of ammo in an ammo dump. Did they guard it? No," Kerry said.
"Our kids are being shot at -- today from the ammo and weapons and ammo dump they didn't guard.
"There is a long list of mistakes and I am glad that Paul Bremer has finally admitted at least two of them. And the president of the United States needs to tell the truth to the American people.
"I don't know whether the president is constitutionally incapable of acknowledging the truth," Kerry said.
Addressing doubts about whether he would be able to entice foreign powers into aiding the United States in Iraq, Kerry said: "Does that mean allies are going to trade their young for our young in body-bags? I know they are not. I know that.
But he said he would be able to get allies involved in missions like securing Iraq's borders and more aggressive efforts to train Iraqi troops and police.
"Those borders have become a sieve for weapons of mass destruction and those weapons of mass destruction are terrorists that are crossing them and coming in and blowing themselves up in cars," he said.
He said the current administration had no credibility to enlist US allies. "Every step of the way these folks have pushed them away," he said. "What I will do is bring new credibility, a fresh start.
"A presidency with the trust that will bring the allies to the table.
Kerry made his closest comparison yet to the current situation in Iraq and his active opposition to the Vietnam War.
"When I saw the mistakes I stood up," he said. "When I came back (from Vietnam, where he served as a patrol boat captain) I had the courage to point them out to the American people.
"Even today there's some who still don't like that. I feel badly because it is hard, but you know that's the way life is," he said. "You've got to speak truth to power."
"The American people need that truth today."
Kerry was scheduled to fly to Colorado following his appearance here where he will watch the debate later Tuesday between vice presidential candidates Cheney and Edwards.