KERRY PLAYS THE CHICKENHAWK CARD

Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., said Friday he is tired of having his commitment to national security questioned by Republicans who never served in the military, and he singled out Vice President Dick Cheney and White House senior adviser Karl Rove by name, saying they "went out of their way to avoid" service during the Vietnam War.

In unusually pointed and personal language, Kerry condemned his rivals, who are airing a television commercial that questions the judgment of the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee on national security issues and attacks him for voting against the $87 billion authorization funding for Iraq and Afghanistan.