Bush: Kerry Truthful On War Record

But Doesn't Criticize Swift Boat Group In N.Y. Times Interview

(CBS/AP)  President Bush said he did not believe John Kerry was lying about his Vietnam war record but he declined to criticize the Swift Boat group that claims Kerry is lying.

"I understand how Senator Kerry feels - I've been attacked by 527's too," Mr. Bush told the New York Times in an interview conducted while the president was campaigning in New Mexico on Thursday.

"527's" are the outside groups participating in the campaign, usually espousing Democratic or Republican positions. The groups are supposed to be independent of the two parties, but Democratic and Republican officials routinely accuse the groups of working in concert with one campaign or the other.

One such group, Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, has accused Kerry of lying about his war record in TV ads. Kerry, in turn, has accused Mr. Bush of being behind the group's efforts, a charge dismissed by the White House.

The president's top election lawyer, Benjamin Ginsberg, resigned from the campaign after disclosing that he had given legal advice to the Swift Boat group.

Mr. Bush has criticized all outside group attack ads, including the Swift Boat Veterans first commercial. He has said he wants the ads to stop, but has not explicitly condemned the charges made in the Swift Boat ad.

On Thursday, Mr. Bush said he wanted to work with Sen. John McCain to go to court against ads by the "shadowy" outside groups.

"We want to pursue court action," said Bush spokesman Scott McClellan. "The president said if the court action doesn't work, that he would be willing to pursue legislative action with Sen. McCain on that."

McCain, R-Ariz., has called on Mr. Bush to condemn the anti-Kerry ads - which have dominated the presidential race in recent weeks - even as the war hero popular with many independent voters is actively supporting the president's re-election. The senator welcomed Mr. Bush's gesture.

"I'm very appreciative of the president's effort to do that," McCain said in an interview with The Associated Press. "I want to emphasize if I could that we're not saying that 527s should be abolished. We're just saying they should live under the same campaign finance restrictions (as hard money groups) because they are engaged in partisan activity."

Earlier, McCain had called on both political parties to declare a cease-fire in the increasingly bitter partisan quarrel over Kerry's war record.

"I'm sick and tired of re-fighting the Vietnam War. And most importantly, I'm sick and tired of opening the wounds of the Vietnam War, which I've spent the last 30 years trying to heal," McCain told USA Today. "It's offensive to me, and it's angering to me that we're doing this. It's time to move on."