If President Bush and the Republicans are being asked to come down off their moral high horse, the same should be asked by the Democrats of their own presidential candidate.

"We have not stood up and attacked our opponents in personal ways," Kerry said.

This week alone, Kerry has criticized Bush personally in speeches for lying, professional laziness, waiting until right before the election to indict Enron Corp.'s former chief executive, Kenneth L. Lay, lacking values and even having worse hair than the two Democrats. Some advisers are privately counseling Kerry to tone down his attacks on Bush.