Kerry Steamroller Aims At Michigan

As he canvasses the South, John Kerry is staying out of the bickering between rivals Wesley Clark and John Edwards, hoping that his front-runner momentum will be enough to eliminate them from the Democratic presidential race.

All three were to attend an annual gathering of Democrats on Saturday in Virginia and were campaigning in Tennessee through the weekend. Both states hold primaries Tuesday, and victory for Clark and Edwards is crucial as the two Southern natives try to emerge as the alternative to Kerry.

That won't be easy: Kerry's support grows daily.

Many observers say he's in a strong position to put three states - delegate-rich Michigan, Washington and Maine - into his win column this weekend. His rivals have barely campaigned in those states, choosing instead to focus on future contests.

But CBS News.com's David Kuhn cautions that, while Kerry's lead in Michigan is huge, "That is where the political prognostication ends. Unlike Michigan, Maine and Washington State have no polling, the lifeblood of pundits." And hence, are difficult to predict.

Kerry picked up endorsements Friday from former rival Dick Gephardt and Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm. "I'm here today adding my voice to all of yours," Gephardt told about 200 people in Warren, Mich., a blue-collar suburb of Detroit.

On the stump, Kerry is focusing on one rival: President Bush. Aides said the Massachusetts senator planned to introduce a new line of criticism Saturday against Mr. Bush, arguing that he is leading an "extreme administration" whose policies go against mainstream America.

Kerry also is the only candidate advertising in the District of Columbia, reaching Democratic-heavy northern Virginia. Clark is focused on Tennessee, making Virginia a rare Kerry-Edwards showdown.

Kerry's only other major rival, Howard Dean, mostly is camping out in Wisconsin, which holds a primary Feb. 17. It could become a multi-candidate showdown if Clark and Edwards have strong showings in Tuesday's contests.

But first Clark and Edwards, two candidates who have tended to take the campaign high road, must survive the weekend after the back-and-forth barbs of recent days between the two campaigns reached a crescendo Friday. Clark argued that his rival turned his back on veterans and Edwards replied that the allegations were "baseless, false attacks."

Democratic strategists said the day's events illustrated how few options Clark and Edwards have left. They can't afford to lose in the South on Tuesday, and Kerry is on a hot streak - winning seven of nine contests. Traditionally, the best way to curb a front-runner's momentum is with attacks. But Clark and Edwards are wary of the lesson learned in Iowa where voters punished candidates who went negative.

So, Edwards, who has promised to run a positive campaign, is being careful. The North Carolina senator's advisers say he won't instigate confrontations with his rivals and won't engage in their "petty sniping." But, they say, he will stand up for himself when being attacked. Edwards says he will go on to compete in Wisconsin no matter Tuesday's outcome.

Tennessee is do-or-die country for Clark, who has decided to roll the dice.

Citing votes by the first-term North Carolina senator, Clark said in a radio interview in Nashville, Tenn., that "when it came to deciding between the special interests and our veterans, Senator Edwards blinked. He didn't support our veterans."

Edwards told The Associated Press in an interview that Clark, a retired Army general, mischaracterized his votes. "These charges are false," he said, warning voters to "brace themselves for more baseless, false attacks in the days to come."

Campaigning in Wisconsin, Dean took a veiled swipe at Kerry and Edwards, complaining that politicians in Washington are all talk and no action.

"I'm tired of the Washington talk. I'm here to get things done," the former Vermont governor said.

Dean predicted he will win Wisconsin and has told supporters that a loss would push him out of the race. On Friday, the one-time front-runner did not rule out a spot on the party's ticket as the vice presidential nominee, telling a Milwaukee radio station that he would think about it, to the extent it would help beat Bush.

Asked later, however, if his comments meant he would consider the second spot on the ticket, Dean replied, "No, I've got to win first."