Kerry, Edwards Express Rolls On
Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry and runningmate John Edwards emphasized the message that every vote counts as the Kerry-Edwards Express wound through southern Colorado en route to New Mexico.
Kerry and Edwards were expected to arrive in this rural northern New Mexico town late Saturday evening for a brief rally before heading south to Albuquerque for the night.
In Las Vegas, Kerry planned to thank members of the New Mexico National Guard's 720th Transportation Company, which just finished 15 months of service in Iraq. The company is based in Las Vegas.
The train, bedecked in red, white and blue, includes the Pullman train car used by presidents Truman, Clinton, Carter and Johnson as they campaigned for office. Truman visited Las Vegas in 1948.
CBS News Correspondent Jim Axelrod, who's traveling with the Kerry campagin, notes that Kerry and Edwards were not only drawing substantial crowds at organized rallies, but surprisingly high turnouts at rural train depots as well.
The Kerry-Edwards Express was to run along the Amtrak rail through Raton in the northeast corner, down through Las Vegas and Glorieta, over to Albuquerque and on westward to Gallup.
The whistlestop tour is part of a two-week, coast-to-coast trek through 21 states via bus, train and boat.
The candidates plan to spend some private time in Albuquerque on Sunday morning to attend church, eat out and shop.
Campaign officials said the candidates will also participate in the Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial festivities in Gallup.
Rep. Tom Udall, D-N.M., welcomed the Gallup visit.
"The difference could be the Indian vote in a close race," Udall said.
New Mexico is considered a swing state. President Bush lost New Mexico to Al Gore in 2000 by 366 votes.
The campaign said some of New Mexico's pueblo governors will talk with Kerry about Indian issues on the train ride from Albuquerque to Gallup on Sunday.
"We look forward to discussing how to increase access to health care and educational opportunities, and loans to help meet housing needs in Indian country," Sandia Pueblo Gov. Stuart Paisano said.
In a response to Kerry's visit, members of the Bush-Cheney campaign in Bernalillo County showed a video Saturday on what they described as Kerry's "many stances" on the Iraqi war dating back to 1991, when the first Gulf War broke out. The most recent was last month.
The 12-minute tape showed Kerry saying he favored disarming Saddam Hussein but that he would only support going to war if all avenues of negotiation had been exhausted. In one clip, he acknowledged that negotiations probably wouldn't achieve a peaceful solution.
Bernalillo County Sheriff Darren White, the campaign's county chair said a candidate who votes to send troops to war but fails to support funding for supplies can't be trusted.
The Democratic Party countered accusing Bush of a number of "flip-flops" to agree with Kerry on issues.
The Kerry campaign said Mr. Bush first failed to include the United Nations in the war in Iraq, but now wants it involved.
"A documentary film maker could make a feature length film about Bush's flip flops, fumbles and foibles and failures. Someone may already have," said John V. Wertheim, Chair of the Democratic Party of New Mexico. "While Bush has no record to run on, John Kerry has a vision for improving people's lives."