Kerry, other candidates woo Wisconsin Dems at convention Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. John Kerry, D- Mass., right, talks with Dick Sampson, of Appelton, Wis., after speaking at the Democratic State Convention Friday, June 13, 2003, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/ Darren Hauck) By TODD RICHMOND Associated Press Writer MILWAUKEE (AP) - State Democrats listened to a trio of presidential candidates lash out at President Bush on everything from Iraq to his tax cut package at the state Democratic Party's annual convention Friday. Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich and former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean all appeared at the convention, getting a jump on Wisconsin's new, earlier primary date that promises to make the state a major player in deciding who will get the Democratic nomination. Kucinich, Dean and Kerry all touched on the war, labor rights, Bush's tax cut package and the need for universal health insurance. "I want my country back, Mr. President, and I want that country now!" a red-faced Dean shouted to delegates. Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle signed a law earlier this year that moved Wisconsin's primary next year from April to Feb. 17. That puts Wisconsin among the first third of states to hold primaries. In past election cycles, the nominations had often already been decided by the time Wisconsin's primary took place. Wisconsin now has been tagged as a battleground state in next year's presidential election, said University of Wisconsin-La Crosse political science professor Joe Heim. A Republican hasn't won Wisconsin since 1984, but Democrat Al Gore barely won the state three years ago over Bush. Kucinich accused Bush of lying about Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction to create a pretext for going to war. U.S. troops have yet to discover any such weapons in Iraq. "Lying to the American people is a weapon of mass destruction," Kucinich said, pounding the podium at times. "Our party is not the war party." He also promised to repeal NAFTA as his first act as president, saying it hurts unions and costs jobs, and demanded guaranteed health care. He also said that under his administration anyone who works for an employer with a federal contract could join a union. "It's time, Democrats," Kucinich said. Kerry, who served in the U.S. Navy during Vietnam, criticized a Bush photo op in which the president landed on an aircraft carrier decked out in a flight suit. Forgotten in the hoopla, he said, was the loss of 2.7 million jobs since Bush took office. "I've got news for Republicans," Kerry said. "Landing on an aircraft carrier doesn't make up for the loss of 2.7 million jobs ... we need to bring a sense of outrage to this campaign." Kerry echoed a speech he gave earlier Friday in Iowa, saying by 2020, 20 percent of electricity produced in America should be made with alternative or renewable energy sources, reducing dependence on Middle Eastern oil. He also proposed high school students should perform public service before graduation. "We need a new patriotism," he said. Dean said Republicans clearly can't be trusted with money because they've run the country into a deficit trillions of dollars deep. He said Bush's tax cut plan should be shelved and the money spent instead on universal health insurance, schools and infrastructure. Democrats must clearly define themselves and stand up to the administration to combat questions of whether the party has become indistinguishable from the GOP. "If you make me the nominee of this party, I will make you proud to be Democrats," he said. Wisconsin Sen. Russ Feingold got perhaps the warmest reception. He echoed Dean. "We will not get there by being Republican light," he said. He defended his votes against the Iraq invasion and the Patriot Act. Bush still hasn't answered his questions about the invasion, he said. "We do ourselves and our nation no favors by meekly accepting the Bush administration's confused foreign policies," he said. He said Republicans have lost touch with the Bill of Rights. The state GOP has been running a daily feature on its Web site called "Out of Step with Russ Feingold." State GOP chairman Rick Graber said one of the party's biggest priorities is to oust Feingold. Doyle told the crowd Democrats must work hard to make sure Feingold returns to office. "Russ Feingold is a champion for the working people," he said. Doyle himself got a wild standing ovation. He is Wisconsin's first Democratic governor in 16 years. Gwen Graham Logan, Florida Sen. Bob Graham's daughter, spoke on behalf of her father's campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination. She showed the crowd a huge picture of her father as a boy posing with a cow, a nod to Wisconsin's dairy heritage. "I am very biased," she said. "He is just a good person." ___ On the Net: Republican Party of Wisconsin: http://www.wisgop.org Democratic Party of Wisconsin: http://www.wisdems.org