DES MOINES — Five days before the Iowa caucuses, Howard Dean kicked off his last statewide tour with negative comments about fellow Democratic candidates and an entourage of celebrity backers.

Several hundred supporters, including more than 100 members of the national media, were in attendance. Dean was joined by an all-star cast: actor Martin Sheen, who plays the U.S. president in the NBC drama “The West Wing,” director Rob Reiner and Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa.

Harkin took cues from Sheen’s presence and told the crowd it was “time to kick the right wing out of the west wing of the White House.”

The rally, which was held in a building on the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, was charged with passionate speeches from supporters and celebrities. It reached its climax when Dean, the former governor of Vermont, was chauffeured on stage by his tour bus: “The People Powered Express.”

“This Monday, the people of Iowa have the power to tell the political establishment and the special interests that we have come to reclaim our government,” Dean said.

With the presidential campaign heating up among the Democratic candidates, Dean aimed a few negative remarks at his fellow candidates. Until recently, they were reserved exclusively for President Bush. Recent Zogby International polls show Dean with a small lead in Iowa.

The poll showed Dean narrowly leading with support from 25 percent of likely Democratic caucus-goers, down from 26 percent in December. Rep. Dick Gephardt of Missouri was close behind with 23 percent, up from 22 percent last month. Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts was in third place with 15 percent, followed closely by Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina with 14 percent.

Dean aimed to distinguish himself from his competition.

“I like John Kerry, John Edwards and Dick Gephardt, but they didn’t stand up to the Iraq war or the No Child Left Behind Act,” Dean said. “They aren’t bad people, but they’re Washington people.”

Dean’s lead in Iowa polls has wavered up and down, but Dean hasn’t budged from the top in months. One factor is his time spent in Iowa — he was the first candidate to reach all 99 Iowa counties. He’s also recruited an army of young staffers who have criss-crossed the country for Dean’s campaign.

Among them is Ben Schachter, a student at Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, Calif., who is skipping a few weeks of classes to campaign for Dean in Iowa and Arizona.

He said he supports Dean because he was the only candidate who stood up against the war in Iraq.

“Ideologically, I want Bush out of the White House and I think Dean’s the best man to do it,” he said.

His campaign has also recruited voters who until recently were undecided. Des Moines resident Steve James, 58, said Dean would recruit new voters, and they would choose him because of the dragging economy.

“People vote with their wallets. It all depends on the economy and a lot can change between now and November,” he said.

James said Bush’s leadership was creating too many conservative policies that have alienated moderate and liberal voters.

“We can’t afford four more years of conservatives in this country. It’s time for the political pendulum in this country to swing back to the left,” he said.

James then joined the crowd to cheer on Dean. After his speech concluded, Dean stepped aboard his bus, ready to make a final sprint across the state.