Democrats Finish Busy First Week

Sen. John F. Kerry cut short a campaign trip to North Carolina -- his first with running mate and Raleigh resident Sen. John Edwards by his side -- to return home for a briefing by members of the Bush administration on national security matters.

Kerry was briefed at his Beacon Hill home Sunday morning, the first day the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate had no public events scheduled after a whirlwind week in which he announced his choice for second in command and the two men campaigned together through seven important battleground states.

The campaign said late Sunday that it was launching what it described as “the largest Hispanic ad buy” in presidential history and “the largest and earliest African American ad buy” for a Democratic presidential contender. The ad campaign aimed at Latino voters is scheduled to start today; the African American campaign is to begin Wednesday.

Kerry spokeswoman Allison Dobson would not elaborate, saying that the states and costs would be made public today.

The ad campaign was described to reporters in a late-evening e-mail, which said the ads would appear on television, in print and on radio.

“They’re significant buys,” Dobson said.

In a taped interview broadcast Sunday on CBS’ “60 Minutes,” the new Democratic running mates talked about their roles, their relationship and their votes to give President Bush the authority to take the country to war in Iraq.

The Senate Intelligence Committee issued a scathing report on prewar intelligence Friday, blasting the administration for going to war based on erroneous information -- that Iraq harbored weapons of mass destruction. Kerry was asked whether, given the findings in the report, his vote and the war itself were mistakes.

Kerry insisted in the interview, which was taped Saturday night, that “the way [Bush] went to war was a mistake.”

But he also said that his vote -- to grant “authority for the president to go to war as a last resort if Saddam Hussein did not disarm and we needed to go to war” -- was not a mistake, and that he did not regret it.

Edwards said “the difference is, if John Kerry were president of the United States, we would never be in this place. He would never have done what George Bush did. He would have done the hard work to build the alliances and the support system” before engaging in combat in Iraq.

Kerry had not addressed the report while campaigning with Edwards late last week.

Kerry was also asked in the “60 Minutes” interview about Bush’s comment that the difference between Edwards and Vice President Dick Cheney was that Cheney was prepared to be president.

“I’ve seen people be president,” Kerry responded. “I’ve worked with presidents. I understand talent and ability.... [Edwards] is more qualified, more prepared in national affairs and national issues, than George Bush was when he became president. He is ready.”

Kerry and Edwards continued to behave and sound like political newlyweds.

“You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to see a number of things,” said Edwards, when the men were asked about how much more energetic Kerry was with the North Carolina senator by his side. “One is that we like each other. Two is that we’re having a great time on the campaign trail. And three is we’re good for each other.”

Kerry is scheduled to attend several campaign events in Boston today. Edwards, who flew from Raleigh to Washington on Sunday, had no public events scheduled for the day.