awyers for Green Party presidential candidate Ralph Nader sought yesterday to toss out corporate financing of the presidential debates, arguing before a federal appeals panel in Boston that such funding was illegal. ''The FEC [Federal Elections Commission] debate regulations are unlawful ... and must be vacated,'' Nader's lawyer, Scott Lewis told the 1st US Court of Appeals. The lawsuit seeks a court order invalidating the FEC regulations. Such a ruling could result in an action against the Commission on Presidential Debates. The nonprofit corporation has organized this year's debates with financing from corporations. (Reuters)
Gore says Bush embellishes, too
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Accused of embellishments, Al Gore turned the issue on its head yesterday, saying George W. Bush could also be viewed as having the same problem. ''In the debate, when he said that I spent more in my campaign than he has, the numbers show that he has spent twice as much as I have, but I don't seize on that as evidence of some character flaw. He made a mistake, and I'm not going to attack him personally,'' Gore told the local CBS affiliate, WMMT-TV. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Bush and his related committees have spent $121,482,519 on his campaign as of Sept. 21, while Gore had spent $60,883,864 - about half as much. Gore has long been accused of exaggerations, again recently when he said that his family paid three times as much for his mother-in-law's arthritis medication than it spent on the same drug for the family dog. After inquiries from The Globe, the vice president's staff admitted the numbers came from a congressional study, not the family's medical bills. (Globe Staff)
Bush outlines his philosophy
WASHINGTON - Governor George W. Bush began airing a new TV commercial yesterday offering viewers a sweeping outline of his philosophy, saying he trusts Americans while his opponent trusts government. The 60-second ad, which will air in 19 states, features Bush speaking to the camera, striking many of the same themes he hit during Tuesday's debate with Vice President Al Gore. ''He trusts government. I trust you,'' Bush tells viewers. This spot mentions Social Security, taxes, and education, but in the context of an overriding approach. (AP)
Granddaughters upstage Cheney
DANVILLE, Ky. - It was serious business, trying out the chair he was to sit in during last night's vice presidential debate. But Dick Cheney was upstaged by his two granddaughters during a walkthrough of the debate stage yesterday. Six-year-old Kate and 3-year-old Elizabeth did tumbling routines across the red carpet of the stage and tried out the chair in which Senator Joe Lieberman was to sit, aides said. The two youngsters are the children of Liz Perry, 34, Cheney's daughter, who coordinated his debate preparations and traveled to Kentucky along with her husband, Phil Perry, an attorney, who served as moderator during Cheney's practice sessions. (AP)
