Kerry: 'I'm Running for President Because ....' [View All]

Kerry: 'I'm Running for President Because ....'
Tue Jun 15, 3:18 PM ET
By Patricia Wilson

FROM: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=1963&e=8&u=/nm/20040615/pl_nm/campaign_kerry_dc_10&sid=96378800
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (Reuters) - Armed with a five-word refrain, Democrat John Kerry (news - web sites) on Tuesday fought back against the perception that many voters don't know what he stands for or why he is challenging President Bush (news - web sites).

"I'm running for president because ...." the White House hopeful, longtime senator from Massachusetts and decorated Vietnam War veteran explained again and again during a campaign swing through New Jersey and Ohio.

Although Kerry leads Bush in some opinion polls and has raised more money than the Republican president in the past couple of months, some critics say he has fallen short when it comes to clearly articulating why he wants the job and what he would do with it.

"I'm running for president because I want an economy that strengthens and expands the middle class, not one that squeezes it," the presumptive Democratic nominee told a labor conference in Atlantic City.

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