Aug. 22 (Bloomberg) -- Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry's campaign accused President George W. Bush of running a ``smear'' campaign fronted by outside groups who are attacking Kerry's Vietnam War record.

``George Bush: Denounce the smear,'' states the narrator of a new 30-second Kerry campaign ad. ``Get back to the issues. America deserves better.'' The ad started running today in West Virginia, Ohio and Wisconsin, Kerry spokesman David Wade said.

Polls show a close race in those three states, and the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth group is running commercials there that say Kerry, a four-term Massachusetts senator, lied about his bravery in combat and question whether he deserved his three Purple Hearts for wounds and Silver and Bronze Stars for valor.

Support for Kerry among the country's 26 million veterans fell following the release of the advertisements, according to a CBS News poll. Kerry's support among veterans fell 9 percentage points last week from an earlier poll completed Aug. 1, CBS said, down to 37 percent from 46 percent.

Kerry's new ad says Bush supports the attacks by this ``front group'' and challenges him to denounce them. Entitled ``Issues,'' the ad says the campaign should focus on subjects such as the conflict in Iraq, health care and job creation and it cites statistics to show how Bush, 58, has failed in these areas.

Bush Campaign Response

Kerry, 60, filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission yesterday asking the ads be removed from the air and alleging a direct link with the Bush campaign.

The Bush campaign denies any connection to the Swift Boat attack ads. `John Kerry knows his campaign's accusations are false,'' spokeswoman Alison Harden said. ``His own campaign strategist was unable to point to any evidence that shows coordination.''

Campaign manager Ken Mehlman said on NBC's ``Meet the Press'' that the new Kerry ad ``is another example, once again, of the Kerry campaign saying one thing and doing another.''

``We have a president that today is working very hard to finding solutions to our nation's problems and to lead our country forward,'' Mehlman said. ``This ad is another example of the campaign that is not talking about the issues we face.''

The Bush campaign said late yesterday it had no prior knowledge that a member of the President's Veterans Steering Committee appears in the latest Swift Boat Veterans for Truth commercial due to hit the air Tuesday. Ken Cordier, a former Air Force colonel, has stepped down from the campaign, said Steve Schmidt, a spokesman for the Bush campaign.

Links to Donors, Rove

Seven of the 10 financial backers of Swift Boat Veterans for the Truth gave money to Bush's campaign this year, according to PoliticalMoneyLine, an independent organization that tracks campaign financing. Among them is Bob Perry, the largest political donor to Republicans in Texas, who provided $100,000. Perry, chief executive officer of closely held Perry Homes in Houston, has declined to be interviewed.

Perry is also linked to Bush political adviser Karl Rove, the New York Times said. Rove told the paper this week through a spokeswoman that he and Perry were longtime friends, though he said they hadn't spoken for at least a year. Rove and Perry have been associates since at least 1986, when they both worked on the gubernatorial campaign of Bill Clements, the Times said.

Issue of U.S. Security

Kerry has highlighted his Vietnam record as credentials to handling U.S. security, an issue where Bush remains strongest with voters.

According to three Pew polls of 4,500 adults in July and August focusing on homeland security, the president's strongest suit is still the war on terror, with 58 percent of respondents approving of Bush's action in that area. The poll also found that national security has surpassed jobs and the economy to become the most important issue on voters minds for the first time since the Vietnam War.

At stake are the country's 26 million veteran voters, 1.4 million active military and 1.2 million National Guard and Reservists, or more than one in five voters in the 2000 election.

Democrats question Bush's record of military service. He served as a pilot in the Texas and Alabama National Guards during the Vietnam War. Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe called Bush ``AWOL'' and challenged Bush to produce proof of attendance.

``Today Senator Kerry carries shrapnel in his thigh, as distinct from President Bush, who carries two fillings in his teeth from his service in the Alabama National Guard, which seems to be his only time that he showed up,'' John Podesta, former chief of staff to President Bill Clinton, a Democrat, said today on ABC's ``This Week.''

To contact the reporter on this story: Jay Newton-Small in Crawford, Texas jnewtonsmall@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: August 22, 2004 14:58 EDT