Kerry Raises Campaign Cash Off Of Katrina...

Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) unleashed a furious attack on the Bush administration at a Brown University speech yesterday, upbraiding the president�s response to the hurricane that recently devastated the Gulf Coastand tying it to what he sees as other flaws at the White House.

�This is the Katrina administration,� read prepared remarks posted on 2004 Democratic presidential nominee�s website, www.johnkerry.com. �Katrina is a symbol of all this administration does and doesn't do,� read Kerry�s script, portions of which were included in an e-mail to supporters that ended with a fundraising appeal.

In a brief interview, Tracey Schmitt, a spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee, called Kerry�s pitch for cash �repulsive.�

In a news release, she said, �John Kerry's attacks on President Bush's efforts to assist the victims and rebuild the Gulf Coast don't come as a surprise. Armchair quarterbacking on tough issues has never been a problem for Senator Kerry. The American people have pulled together during a difficult time and Democrats� efforts to politicize this tragedy are unsavory at best.�

While Kerry�s speech may play well with the Democratic base, Sarah Binder, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and a professor at George Washington University, said the senator has a tough challenge to pin blame on Bush.