Las Vegas ? The Democratic Party chairman accused President Bush on Saturday of exploiting the 9-11 attacks for political advantage and of heading an “administration adrift” that squandered its domestic policy mandate.

In an election-year charge reminiscent of President Clinton’s 1992 campaign against Bush’s father, Terry McAuliffe told party activists the president failed to convert his wartime political capital into action on the economy, Social Security, health care and corporate abuse.

Democratic party Chairman Terry McAuliffe addresses a meeting of the Democratic National Committee. On Saturday, McAuliffe criticized President Bush of exploiting the 9-11 attacks for political advantage.

“All this trust. All this support. What an opportunity to lead. But in the end to what end? An administration adrift, with polling numbers as their only compass and high approval ratings as their only destination,” McAuliffe told several hundred Democratic leaders to conclude their summer conference.

Firing back, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said: “It’s a sad commentary on the state of the Democratic Party when they meet and cannot unite around a positive agenda and instead can only resort to negative attacks.”

Three months before midterm election, amid jockeying for the 2004 presidential race, McAuliffe consulted with Clinton, Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle and other party leaders before presenting the tough new message.

Just as Clinton cast the first President Bush as unresponsive to voter concerns, McAuliffe said the current president’s inaction has created a “leadership void” in Washington.

McAuliffe accused Bush of using the 9-11 attacks and the economic fallout “to explain away last August’s deficits” and he said the president “cynically made 9-11 the cornerstone of the Republican 2002 election strategy.”

The actions violated Bush’s pledge not to exploit the war, McAuliffe said.