Democratic presidential candidate Bob Graham said President Bush misrepresented the danger Iraq posed to the United States before going to war.

Graham spoke to a crowd of about 100 at a home located at 2810 Meadow Glen Rd. on Saturday night.

“To make the sort of statements the president did in the State of the Union address … is an outrage,” the Florida Democratic senator and former governor said.

Graham said he is most discouraged by reports stating the Bush administration tried to quell opposition to the war within the government and dismiss intelligence reports that did not support the case for war.

“[Bush kept] America in the dark,” Graham said.

Members of the Democratic party need to distinguish themselves from Republican candidates for office, especially president, in the 2004 election, Graham said.

He told a story from Harry S. Truman’s election campaign in which a supporter told Truman to “Give ’em hell, Harry.”

Truman responded by saying he would tell the truth and that would be trouble enough for his detractors, Graham said.

“That’s the kind of Democrat we need to have,” he said.

Graham said there is a need for Democrats to nominate a pragmatist who would consider issues without bias, and he thinks he could be that pragmatist.

Graham said his voting record showed sharp opposition to Bush’s policies, because of votes against war in Iraq and against tax cuts in 2001 and 2003.

He said Bush is responsible for many of the problems in the United States.

“Bill Clinton took control of deficits [and started] generating surpluses,” Graham said.

Bush’s presidency has seen more than two trillion dollars added to the national debt, he said.

Jim Madden, 227 Hilltop Rd., said Graham connected well with the crowd.

“He understands what Iowa is all about,” he said. “That’s what I like.”

A successful candidate for president, Graham said, will “draw a clear distinction [from Republicans] and be prepared to call George W. Bush what he is.”

Graham said he thinks the United States was less secure than it was on Sept. 11, 2001 as a result of Bush’s foreign and domestic policies.

“Al-Qaida was almost dismantled 14 months ago,” he said.

Graham said the government then became distracted by the opportunity to attack Iraq.

“Now al-Qaida is back,” he said. “That, to me, is the ultimate outrage of this administration.”

Graham said he opposed the privatization of Social Security and Medicare and was in favor of more stringent pollution laws.

He added his home state of Florida has a constitutional prohibition against hog lots.

Rep. Lisa Heddens, D-Ames, said Graham’s presentation was a good one.

“His message is very concise,” she said.

She said the protection of Social Security and Medicare will be one of the most important issues in the presidential race.

“That needs to continue to be at the forefront,” she said.

Josh Reicks, president of ISU College Republicans, said he thinks many Democratic candidates are trying to get attention with statements like Graham’s attack of Bush.

“They’re just trying to one-up one another,” he said. “Graham is trying to stand out.”

Reicks, senior in political science, also said it was inappropriate to say the Bush administration was dishonest about intelligence in Iraq while many parts of the country still need to be searched.

“How do we know?” he said.