Challenger dubs Daschle as two-faced, too liberal

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Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle is the "chief obstructionist," who plays a "block and blame game" to defeat legislation and attack President Bush in Washington, then embraces the Republican administration in his re-election bid in South Dakota, his challenger said yesterday.

In their first debate -- nationally televised on NBC's "Meet the Press" -- former South Dakota Rep. John Thune, a Republican, accused the incumbent Democrat of flip-flopping when it comes to working with the Republican White House.

"Tom is literally running out of the arms of Michael Moore into the arms of the president in South Dakota," Mr. Thune said.

"In Washington, D.C., he's attacking the president, blocking the president's agenda, and in South Dakota, he's hugging the president," the challenger said. "Every time the president has extended his hand in friendship to Senator Daschle, he's bit it off."

Mr. Daschle said he only disagreed with the president when he felt the administration's policies were bad for South Dakota, and called Mr. Thune a "follower" who would "rubber-stamp" the president's policies.

"I think there's something to be said for following, but you've got to be more than a follower in the United States Senate," he said.

"You can't be a follower and you can't just rubber-stamp what this administration is doing. And that's exactly what John would like to do, but we can't. South Dakota expects more than that," Mr. Daschle said.

Mr. Bush is popular in South Dakota -- he won 60 percent of the vote there in 2000 -- and Mr. Thune said it was "amazing and remarkable" that as the Democratic leader in the Senate, Mr. Daschle would "throw John Kerry overboard in order to help himself in South Dakota."

"It is an effort to connect himself and tie himself to a president who is popular in South Dakota at a time when he's running for re-election, while the record is very clear that, when he's in Washington, D.C., the record is one of attack, criticize, block, obstruct," Mr. Thune said.

Mr. Daschle said his agreements and disagreements with the president are based on issues.