US 53701082: ARVN 1968: Big Red One: 1st MP Batallion

Sen. John McCain disputes the charges of fellow Republicans that likely Democratic nominee John Kerry is weak on national security.

BY CHARLES BABINGTON
Washington Post Service

WASHINGTON - Republican Sen. John McCain Thursday defended Sen. John Kerry's record on national security, undercutting the Bush-Cheney campaign's latest attacks on the Democratic presidential nominee and frustrating conservatives hoping for a unified front against the challenger from Massachusetts.

''I do not believe that he is, quote, weak on defense,'' McCain, R-Ariz., said on NBC's Today show.

Asked on the CBS Early Show if he agreed with Vice President Dick Cheney's claim that Kerry is a threat to national security, McCain said: ``I don't think that. I think that John Kerry is a good and decent man. . . . I think he has different points of view on different issues, and he will have to explain his voting record. But this kind of rhetoric, I think, is not helpful in educating and helping the American people make a choice.''

Although McCain restated his support of Bush's reelection bid, Democrats welcomed his remarks during a week in which the Bush-Cheney campaign sharpened its attacks on Kerry's record on military and diplomatic matters.

McCain, who lost a sometimes bitter GOP presidential nomination battle to Bush four years ago, is well-known for opposing Republican orthodoxy on campaign finance laws and other issues. An authority on military affairs, he is a hero to many veterans familiar with his years of torture as a North Vietnamese prisoner of war.

Two associates close to McCain said he refuses to join what he considers unfair attacks on Kerry, a friend and fellow decorated Vietnam War veteran.

''John Kerry is his friend,'' McCain's chief of staff Mark Salter said. ``He's not going to attack his friend.'' On the Today show, McCain urged the Kerry and Bush campaigns to adopt more civil tones on terrorism and national security.

''Both sides have been beating up on the other in the most negative campaign earlier than I've ever seen,'' he said. ``I'd like to see it stop. I'd like to see a serious discussion about Medicare, Social Security, education, what we're going to do about the deficit and overspending.''

On the Early Show, he said, ``I think we ought to have open and honest debates on those issues. I think the president has led this nation with clarity since Sept. 11th. I'm supporting his reelection. But I would certainly hope that we could raise the level of this debate. Otherwise we're going to have very low voter turnouts in November.''