Former Democratic rival Dean praises Kerry at UO.

Byline: Matt Cooper The Register-Guard

Howard Dean ignited a University of Oregon crowd in support of Sen. John Kerry on Friday during his tour of universities in the Northwest. The former Vermont governor is rallying students to register and to vote Kerry into the White House.

Speaking from the stage at the Erb Memorial Union amphitheater, the one-time front-runner for the Democratic nomination warned a mostly pro-Kerry crowd of more than 1,000 students that they might face a draft if President Bush is re-elected.

Dean attacked Bush on the environment and on budget deficits and - in a parody of himself - reprised the type of hyper-excited speech he gave on the campaign trail:

"We're going to win in Eugene!" Dean yelled, as people cheered. "And we're going to win in Bend! And we're going to win in Portland!"

Dean planned to visit Oregon State University and Portland State University later in the day, along his coast-to-coast campaign to boost young voter turnout.

In the 2000 election, only 32 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds voted nationwide, according to the Student Vote Coalition, a nonpartisan group of Oregon student associations.

The close Bush-Kerry contest makes Oregon's seven Electoral College votes critical, and Dean hopes young people will prove the difference in the swing state.

Known for his blunt, plain-spoken style, Dean said he had no trouble aligning himself with Kerry despite having temporarily bested the Massachusetts senator on the path to the Democratic nomination.

"The differences between John Kerry and myself are small when compared to the differences between both of us and the president," he said.

With Democrats and Republicans battling to spin Thursday's Bush-Kerry debate in their favor, Dean praised Kerry for a clear plan to build democracy in Iraq, while he criticized Bush and said the president fabricated connections between Saddam Hussein and the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

"John Kerry will tell the truth to the American people if we ever have to send troops abroad," Dean told the crowd.

Dean supporter Laurel Moeslein, 19, found his words "inspirational."

"It's so wonderful that he would come all the way out here to Oregon to speak to a group" - College Democrats for John Kerry - "that's working so hard for a cause that's so justified," said Moeslein, a political science major.

In a pocket of Bush supporters, 25-year-old student Patrick LaSalle was encouraged by Dean's pitch for voter turnout. But he objected to what he sees as the Democratic agenda to saddle the upper class with added tax burden.

"It's impossible for all the money for such things to come from the upper class," LaSalle said. "The rich simply can't carry all that weight, nor should they."

Bob Avery, chairman of the Lane County Republican Party, read Dean's visit as evidence that Kerry is in trouble in a county historically considered a Democratic stronghold.

"I thought Dean was kind of old news, so to speak," Avery said. "We must be having an impact, and that's a good thing for us."

Politics aside, Amy DuFour, of the student coalition, called Dean's visit a success. The coalition has registered 4,000 UO students to vote in the past three weeks, and Friday's event brought the group closer to its goal of 7,500.

"Having any political leader here talking about the upcoming election and issues creates a general buzz," DuFour said.

CAPTION(S):

Howard Dean shakes hands with the crowd after speaking at the amphitheater of the Erb Memorial Union at the University of Oregon.