WASHINGTON – With the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses scheduled in a week and a half, Democratic candidates are facing crunch time, and accusations of dirty tricks are abounding as expected.
The latest tracking polls show Wesley Clark (search) moving into second place in New Hampshire, which follows Iowa a week later with its first-in-the-nation primary. But in both states, Howard Dean (search) is still on top.
In an effort to slow the front-runner's momentum, Dean's rivals have used television ads to accuse him of hypocrisy over tax cuts and making claims that he later denied. Now Dean has also been targeted with fliers that are meant to look pro-Dean, but really contain falsehoods and misinformation, including the claim that Dean wants to legalize civil unions (search) for pedophiles.
Clark and Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry (search) have previously complained about dirty tricks, and as the race closes in on the critical Iowa and New Hampshire votes, the cross-talk — for instance, that Dean doesn't have the temperament for the job of president and Clark has made some large misstatements — has grown louder.
Click here to watch the fair and balanced report from Fox News' Carl Cameron.
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