Democratic chairman says Bush White House is 'adrift'

LAS VEGAS -- The Democratic Party chairman accused President Bush on Saturday of exploiting the Sept. 11 attacks for political advantage and of heading an "administration adrift" that squandered its domestic policy mandate.

In an election-year charge reminiscent of President Clinton's 1992 campaign against Bush's father, Terry McAuliffe said the president failed to convert his wartime political capital into action on the economy, Social Security, health care and corporate abuse.

"All this trust. All this support. What an opportunity to lead. But in the end to what end? An administration adrift, with polling numbers as their only compass and high approval ratings as their only destination," McAuliffe told several hundred Democratic leaders to conclude their summer conference.

Firing back, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said: "It's a sad commentary on the state of the Democratic Party when they meet and cannot unite around a positive agenda and instead can only resort to negative attacks."

In three days of meetings, Democratic leaders struggled to come to grips with a nagging political problem: How to challenge Bush's prosecution of the war and handling of the economy without exposing themselves to criticism that they are playing politics.

Three months before midterm election, amid jockeying for the 2004 presidential race, McAuliffe consulted with Clinton, Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt and other party leaders before presenting the tough new message

Just as Clinton cast the first President Bush as unresponsive to voter concerns, McAuliffe said the current president's inaction has created a "leadership void" in Washington.

McAuliffe did accuse Bush of using the Sept. 11 attacks and the economic fallout "to explain away last August's deficits" and he said the president "cynically made 9-11 the cornerstone of the Republican 2002 election strategy."