Kerry sees red at orange tan jokes

As George Bush and John Kerry go head-to-head in what is considered the most crucial presidential election in generations, America has turned to another issue – the colour of Senator Kerry’s face.

So-called “attack dogs” who pledge their allegiance to Republican Mr Bush posted pictures on the internet this week of an “orange” looking Mr Kerry.

Newspapers picked up the story and even Lynne Cheney, the wife of vice-president Dick Cheney, has commented on the shade of the Democratic challenger’s tan.

The implication that Mr Kerry has given himself a fake tan follows earlier claims that he had botox treatment to remove wrinkles on his forehead.

Both the claims of botox injections and self-tanning started with photographs published on the right-leaning news website The Drudge Report.

During a campaign stop in Minnesota yesterday, Mrs Cheney joined in the ridiculing of Mr Kerry.

As a group of volunteers moved into a crowd with microphones for a question-and-answer period, the vice-president told supporters to look for the people with dark orange shirts.

When Cheney paused as if searching to describe the shade of orange, his wife said: “How about John Kerry’s suntan?”

Kerry campaign officials responded with exasperation.

“We’d be happy to debate the colour wheel all day long, but folks would just as soon see a debate on the important issues that are facing our nation,” said a spokesman.

Mr Kerry, from Massachusetts, and Mr Bush have kept relatively low profiles in recent days.

Both men have been in intensive practice sessions for their first live televised campaign debate, which takes place early tomorrow.

Mr Bush found time for a tour of hurricane-hit parts of Florida, a key election state.

He hugged a woman as she dried her eyes and shared her story of the storms.

“You were hit pretty hard?” Mr Bush asked one couple as he met people in Stuart, 100 miles north of Miami.

The White House arranged for a large pack of local and national reporters to capture the scene.

Florida, where the President’s brother Jeb is governor, is the state that decided the 2000 election.

Latest polls show Mr Bush leading going into the TV debate in Florida.

A second debate will be held on October 8 at Washington University in St Louis, Missouri, and a third is scheduled for October 13 at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona.

A vice-presidential debate between Mr Cheney and Senator John Edwards is on October 5 at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.

The election is on November 2.