ITTSBURGH - Before lambasting George W. Bush at a union rally late Saturday, US Senator John F. Kerry tried out a couple of jokes on the audience.
The first drew laughs, the second, groans.
The Massachusetts Democrat remarked that he had been campaigning all over the country for Vice President Al Gore, and ''all over this country, people are asking whether or not George Bush is smart enough to be president of the United States.''
Pausing for a beat, he added: ''And I'll tell you what's really scary: One of the people that's asking is Dan Quayle.''
Kerry then said that he was recently near Atlantic City, home of the Miss America contest.
''I suddenly thought about it. Just think, all of you: Fifty-one young women, from all over the country, of all races, colors, and creeds, coming together, all with one thing in common: Every single one of then knows more about the issues than George Bush,'' the senator said. The audience groaned.
Kerry said that he comes to Pittsburgh regularly since his marriage to Teresa Heinz, widow of a Pennsylvania senator.
