Philadelphia ? Amid warnings that another devastating terrorist attack on the United States could be imminent, Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry on Thursday accused President Bush of leaving the nation’s chemical plants vulnerable because of his political ties to the industry.

“I wish their policies were in touch with the tough rhetoric that you keep hearing,” Kerry told the National Conference of Black Mayors. “What are we waiting for? Instead of misleading us about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, they ought to lead this nation to take every step to prevent one of our own chemical plants from being turned into a weapon of mass destruction against our own people.”

On the same day President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney were questioned by the commission investigating the intelligence failures surrounding the 9-11 attacks, Kerry painted a bleak picture of the danger facing Americans and suggested there could be another attack before the November election. He said every report out of Washington showed that it was not a matter of whether there would be another terrorist attack, but when.

“So if we know it’s a matter of when, then when are we going to stop pretending that all has been accomplished in our shared mission to keep America safe?” he asked. “When are we going to start dealing with dangers that we still know exist in this country?”

‘Distortions’

Later, at a fund-raiser at Philadelphia’s City Hall, Kerry assailed the “distortions of this president,” citing the criticisms from the Bush campaign of his Senate votes on defense and intelligence spending.

“To suggest that I, who have already defended my country, wouldn’t defend it today is an insult to the intelligence of Americans,” said Kerry, a decorated Vietnam veteran.

Kerry told the mayors that not all attacks could be prevented because terrorists who were willing to risk their lives were impossible to stop. But he said he had a plan for many vulnerabilities that the Bush administration had not addressed — U.S. ports are not secure enough to prevent nuclear material from arriving by ship, the country’s borders are wide open, and the FBI does not share vital information with local officials about suspected terrorists.

The mayors applauded loudly when Kerry said the administration was asking them to protect the homeland, then sticking them with the bill.

Bush response

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., greets a child after stopping his motorcade in a residential section of Harrisburg, Pa. Children along the street in the neighborhood shouted and waved to the motorcade Thursday moments before Kerry stopped and visited with the children.

The Bush campaign said the administration was doing almost everything that Kerry proposed to protect chemical sites. “John Kerry has played politics with homeland security throughout this campaign, and today he is doing it again,” Bush spokesman Steve Schmidt said.

Kerry said Bush had accommodated the chemical industry, which favors voluntary efforts to improve security, because of campaign contributions from executives.

The Kerry campaign cited pledges to Bush during 2000 and 2004 of at least $1.5 million from 15 fund-raisers it said were tied to the chemical industry. The campaign also cited nearly $6.5 million in soft-money contributions — corporate, union or unlimited donations — from the industry to Republicans during the 2000 and 2002 campaigns.

‘A top priority’

A spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security, Brian Roehrkasse, said the agency already was working with chemical plants to improve defenses.

“Chemical plant security has been a top priority for the Department of Homeland Security, and we are not waiting for legislation to be enacted,” Roehrkasse said. “We are currently working with over 300 facilities considered the most vulnerable if attacked to put in place enhanced measures that go above and beyond the requirements of any legislation.”

Two years ago, the CIA warned of the potential for an al-Qaida attack on U.S. chemical facilities.

Kerry said he would require chemical plants at risk of terrorist attack to implement adequate physical security, including fences, guards and surveillance. He said his plan called for government action to implement the requirements only if plants failed to act, including assessing their vulnerability on an individualized basis.