Kerry Pledges to Boost Parks Budget

Sen. John F. Kerry took things relatively easy Monday on his campaign roll across the desert Southwest. He left his hotel about 9:30 in the morning and spent much of the afternoon enjoying a side trip to the Grand Canyon.

But with the presidential election 85 days away, there is no such thing as a down day.

So at an altitude of 7,200 feet, Kerry held one of the most picturesque news conferences in memory, briefly discussing Iraq, stem cell research and his intended theme of the day -- conservation -- before a backdrop of billowing white clouds and sheer cliffs.

Kerry pledged that as president, he would increase the national parks budget by $600 million over the next five years to pay for a backlog in maintenance. He said he would finance the increase with a portion of the revenues from a partial rollback of President Bush’s tax cuts, by increasing the fees that private companies pay for mining public lands and possibly raising some park fees.

He accused Bush of neglecting the national park system and essentially letting America’s natural wonders go to seed.

“When John Edwards and I assume responsibilities for this national treasure ... we will restore America’s efforts to be able to preserve our environment, the air, the water, the forests,” said Kerry, who went for a guided half-hour tour along the canyon’s South Rim with his wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, daughter Vanessa and stepson Andre.

It was a brief detour as Kerry chugged toward Nevada and two days of appearances around Las Vegas. He then moves on to the Los Angeles area before heading for Oregon.

The Bush campaign disputed the Massachusetts senator’ assertions. Bush campaign spokesman Steve Schmidt said Bush had committed to steady funding increases over the next five years to whittle down the national parks’ maintenance backlog.

“President Bush has provided record funding levels for America’s national parks,” Schmidt said. “John Kerry’s misleading attacks are one more reason why he has a growing credibility problem.”

A Native American Blessing

Some things are sacred.

On Sunday, Kerry attended the closing powwow of the Annual Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial, a weeklong gathering of thousands of Native Americans from across the country. The outdoor ceremonies were held on the outskirts of Gallup, N.M., in a bowl formed by a ring of red sandstone cliffs.

The cathedral-like setting and feathered ceremonial dress turned the scene into a swirl of colors: purples and yellows, blues and greens and blazing oranges.

Kerry and his wife were summoned to the center of the ring by Larry Anderson, a Vietnam veteran and Navajo spiritual leader, who fanned the couple and gently patted their bodies down with a spray of eagle feathers. He blessed them and offered a prayer for their safekeeping.

Afterward, Kerry wrapped Anderson in a bear hug and said it was not a time for partisan speeches. He did, however, pledge to boost funding for Native American healthcare programs and install an American Indian in the White House to serve as a liaison with tribal governments.

“I can’t remember another presidential candidate visiting a powwow,” said Lise Balk King, editor and publisher of the Native Voice, the nation’s largest Native American newspaper. She added that the promised White House appointment alone was “huge.”

A Banner Campaign Stop

It was the bedsheet banner that stopped a train dead in its tracks.

Rolling through Winslow, Ariz., Sunday night, Kerry was greeted by several hundred supporters who lined the railway, cheering and waving signs and small American flags. The campaign had scheduled a “slow roll” through town, a chance for Kerry to grin, wave from the rear platform and flash a thumbs-up before getting on his way to a late-night rally 90 miles away in Flagstaff.

But then he spied it: a pair of white sheets with blue letters reading, in sequence, “Give Us 10 Minutes,” “We’ll Give You Eight Years.”

The brakes squealed. The train stopped. The crowd cheered. Kerry, his voice hoarse, barked out a brief speech, promising the jobless, those lacking healthcare and others: “Help is on the way.”

The candidate arrived in Flagstaff more than an hour late, well past most people’s bedtime. Still, a crowd of more than 5,000 waited, spilling across a red brick square and hanging off the balconies of nearby buildings.

Kerry apologized, misquoting the message: “Somebody put up a sign and it said, ‘Give us 10 minutes. Give us 10 minutes.’ Another sign said, “‘Give us eight minutes and we’ll give you eight years.’ ”

His explanation drew a roar from the audience. Obviously, it was the thought that counted.

18-Hour Days

Kerry now seems to enjoy campaigning, drawing from the energy and affection of the crowds drawn to his 11-day-old cross-country journey. But at a certain point, it’s time to call it a day.

Kerry looked weary as the train pulled into the Albuquerque station just before midnight Saturday. He smiled and signed autographs for the dozen or so greeters awaiting him trackside A mariachi band provided a serenade.

His wife drifted toward the band and began swaying, gently snapping her fingers to the beat. Javier Martinez, a recent college graduate and Democratic volunteer, stepped from the receiving line and together they danced, as Kerry continued signing autographs.

After a while, the candidate wandered over and Martinez stepped aside, allowing Kerry to cut in. He demurred at first, but Martinez insisted. The couple danced, but within two bars Heinz Kerry had lost a sandal and Kerry had lost any semblance of rhythm. He gamely retrieved the shoe and slipped it back on Cinderella-style, as the women in the receiving line applauded.

Kerry’s running mate, Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, left before the dancing began. Shortly after he and Kerry arrived in Albuquerque, Edwards shook a few hands, then fished his contact lenses out of his eyes and stated to no one in particular, “Eighteen hours a day will do it.”

He headed to his hotel for a few hours of sleep.