Campaign Notebook: Kerry calls for cheaper medicine

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Offering a package of health-care proposals in response to President Bush's State of the Union address, Kerry said that as president he would end the role of brokers and middlemen who drive up prescription costs.

"We are facing a health-care crisis in this country, and last night the president offered only sound bites, but no solutions," Kerry said.

During his address Tuesday night, Bush proposed tax breaks to help low-income people afford health care. In November, he signed into law a bill providing a prescription-drug benefit under Medicare, which he said fulfilled a campaign promise.

Prescription drugs can be up to 80 percent cheaper in Canada, the Kerry campaign said, but the federal government bans their import. Giant programs such as Medicare could use their clout to negotiate lower prices, the campaign said.

Bush touts retraining plan for laid-off workers in Ohio

TOLEDO, Ohio — President Bush, on the defensive about jobs as he campaigns for re-election, acknowledged yesterday that "there are still troubled times" in states such as Ohio as he touted his plan for retraining laid-off workers for new careers.

Democrats derided the approach as meager in an economy that has shed 2.3 million jobs during the Bush presidency. Since Bush took office, Ohio's unemployment rate has jumped from 3.9 percent to 5.7 percent.

"Nationwide this economy is strong," Bush said at Owens Community College near Toledo. "I fully recognize in Ohio there are still troubled times. The manufacturing sector here is sluggish at best, and therefore people are looking for work."

Bush said his "Jobs for the 21st Century" plan would provide relief for laid-off workers. He proposes spending $500 million on job-training and education programs. "The key is to train people for the work that actually exists," he said.

Report: Net voting system for citizens abroad not secure

WASHINGTON — An Internet voting system developed by the Pentagon for U.S. citizens overseas is so vulnerable to attacks that it should be scrapped, four computer-security experts said in a report released yesterday.

The Secure Electronic Registration and Voting Experiment, or SERVE, could be penetrated by hackers who could change votes or gather information about users, they said.

"Internet voting presents far too many opportunities for hackers or even terrorists to interfere with fair and accurate voting, potentially in ways impossible to detect," the report said. "Such tampering could alter election results, particularly in close contests."

Defense Department spokesman Glenn Flood said the Pentagon was confident that the system, which could get its first test Feb. 3 in the South Carolina primary, is secure.

Bids on eBay hit $14,000 for Clark's argyle sweater

WASHINGTON — The sweater is for sale — and it's not cheap.

Democratic presidential candidate Wesley Clark, who recently wore an argyle sweater that was mocked by some members of the media, has had the offending item put up for sale on the online auction site eBay. And after three days, its price has risen to more than $14,000.

Clark wore the sweater just once, to a campaign event in New Hampshire. But it won the attention of reporters, some of whom said the sweater — a departure from the dark suits Clark usually wears — was an attempt to soften his image and appeal to female votes. Others suggested that it was just plain ugly.

The Clark campaign saw an opportunity amid all the attention. It donated the sweater to a New Hampshire-based organization that aids veterans, which, in turn, put it up for sale.

"It's in perfect condition ... and it's clean," spokeswoman Maya Israel said.

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