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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

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Staff writer

With the help of Senate luminary Elizabeth Dole and about 750 supporters, George Nethercutt “officially” kicked off his Senate campaign Friday, labeling incumbent Democrat Patty Murray as someone who “failed the test” on defense and other issues.

Because Nethercutt has been actively campaigning for the job for half a year and just finished three weeks of television commercials around the state, the Murray campaign was ready with a quick counterpunch. The Spokane Republican, the Democrats said, was “a rubber stamp for the right wing.”

Nethercutt, Dole and former Sen. Slade Gorton urged Republicans at a campaign luncheon to work hard this fall as they try to re-elect President Bush and unseat Murray. The economy has struggled, said Dole, but in recent months jobs were added, and “all cylinders seem to be on go.”

“This is a tough race. It could decide who controls the United States Senate,” said Dole, who added that Nethercutt was running “a positive campaign.”

His kickoff speech, however, included several swipes at Murray, calling her “Senator No” for opposing Bush’s tax cut, tort reform for medical malpractice claims and the administration’s prescription drug savings plan.

“She voted no on the best and only chance to help seniors have better health care in their lifetime,” he said. “The AARP said seniors couldn’t wait for a perfect bill — they needed help now.”

Murray voted against, and Nethercutt voted for, the administration’s plan to offer prescription drug discounts.

Democrats, who are critical of the new system of discount cards, responded that Nethercutt opposed other efforts to lower prescription drug costs for seniors.

Nethercutt also criticized Murray for voting to cut spending on intelligence in 1993, and hinted that those cuts were related to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, when “we learned … just how dangerous our world is.”

“Warnings from al Qaeda and threats of terrorism hit us in 1993, when the World Trade Center was first attacked,” he said. “Despite that warning in 1993, Senator Murray voted to cut U.S. intelligence spending by almost $6 billion, and we have paid the price for not having a stronger and more effective U.S. intelligence operation.”

Alex Glass, a spokeswoman for the Murray campaign, countered that Nethercutt voted against a 1996 anti-terrorism bill, which would have strengthened intelligence capabilities and set harsher penalties for terrorists, and against increased funding for some “homeland security” expenses like port and border security. The 1993 vote Nethercutt mentioned was an amendment that was also opposed by Gorton, who was then the state’s senior senator, and Mississippi Republican Trent Lott, Glass said.

“He’s just trying to make some noise,” Glass said of Nethercutt’s campaign reference to Sept. 11.

Nethercutt and Dole began the day with a fund-raising breakfast for about 1,800 in Bellevue, then traveled to Yakima after the lunch at the downtown Spokane DoubleTree Hotel.