Demo hopefuls vie for backing

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The looming war in Iraq exposed tensions among Democrats on Saturday as a gathering of party loyalists strove to show unity against President Bush.

Disagreement over possible war dominated the attention of nearly 2,000 Democrats at the annual California state party convention. Presidential candidate John Edwards, one of six such contenders due to speak during the weekend convention, was booed for backing military action while rival Howard Dean whipped up a cheering frenzy with antiwar remarks.

Dean, a former Vermont governor, used the forum to step up criticism of Edwards, a North Carolina senator, and other White House hopefuls who voted in Congress to authorize military force against Iraq. Dean cited Edwards and Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry by name.

"I don't think we can win the White House if we vote for the president's unilateral attack on Iraq and then come to California and say we're against the war," shouted Dean, who pledged nonetheless to support Edwards or Kerry if either wins the nomination.

Dean also took on Kerry and Edwards for their absence last week when the Senate approved a ban on a controversial abortion procedure. Democrats cannot "win the White House if we skip the most important abortion vote in the last year and then come to California (and proclaim support for abortion rights)," Dean said.

Dean's remarks were a striking departure from the candidates' general practice of muting criticism of one another -- at least at this early stage of the race.

Edwards and Kerry, for their part, faced a tough challenge in explaining their more hawkish stands on Iraq to a boisterous crowd of party activists staunchly opposed to war. Edwards tucked a few lines on Iraq into the final section of a 15-minute speech. A rumble of boos, groans and hisses filled the convention hall.

"I believe that Saddam Hussein is a serious threat and that he must be disarmed, including with military force if necessary," Edwards said.

A "No War" chant erupted as he called for rebuilding a "post- Saddam Iraq," then Edwards shifted quickly to the friendlier terrain of civil rights.

In remarks later to reporters, Edwards said it was a matter of character and leadership for a presidential candidate "to be willing to say directly to the faces of people who disagree with you what it is you believe."

Kerry, a decorated Vietnam veteran, faced less hostility as he outlined his views on Iraq to delegates Friday night.

"I know what it is like to fight in a war when you lose legitimacy and consent," said Kerry. "And I believe the United States should never go to war without that legitimacy, without that consent."

The other presidential hopeful to address delegates Saturday was the Rev. Al Sharpton; he, like Dean, joined the antiwar chorus.

"Make no mistake about it, war is wrong," Sharpton hollered. "This war is unnecessary. This is not about not supporting the troops. This is about misusing troops."

He lifted the crowd to its feet by suggesting Bush was trying to divert Americans' attention from the sagging economy, health-care problems and other domestic issues the way an adult would distract a child by repeating: "The bogey man's coming."

Outside the convention hall, a few hundred demonstrators banged drums and chanted antiwar slogans. Inside, many of the delegates wore neon green lapel stickers that read: "Democrats Say No War."

Apart from the war, the other source of discord among Democrats gathered for the convention was California governor Gray Davis. The governor was once viewed as a potential presidential contender, but now suffers from dismal poll ratings and a campaign to recall him from office.

In a speech that won lukewarm applause, Davis portrayed his California agenda as a template for the national Democratic Party, citing his approval of measures to combat global warming, protect collective-bargaining rights of farm-workers and safeguard legal abortion.

Among the presidential candidates, the only one to broach the topic of the recall was Kerry, who is angling for the governor's endorsement, a potentially big boost in his efforts to raise money. Kerry heaped praise on Davis and said Republicans had launched the recall in a bid "to repeat the experience of Florida of stealing an election after the results are in."

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