Bush derides Kerry’s choice of running mate

US PRESIDENT George W Bush yesterday dismissed freshman Senator John Edwards’ credentials to be vice president while Democratic challenger John Kerry and his running mate rallied voters in battleground states.

“Dick Cheney can be president,” Mr Bush declared, and Mr Kerry suggested that was part of the problem. A day after he welcomed Mr Edwards to the presidential campaign, Mr Bush visited Mr Edwards’s hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina, to criticise the North Carolina senator’s role in holding up judicial appointments. The president said he was unconcerned about the potential of Mr Edwards to help carry states in the South, a GOP bastion.

“When they go to the polls to vote for president, they’ll understand the senator from Massachusetts doesn’t share their values,” Mr Bush said. “I’m going to carry the South because the people understand that we share values.”