Greensboro, N.C. ? John Kerry visited running mate John Edwards’ home state Tuesday, wielding two favorite politico-economic weapons: outsourcing and the federal budget deficit.

While decrying new reports of a record deficit, the Democratic presidential candidate knocked Bush administration officials for saying there are economic benefits involved in the outsourcing of U.S. jobs to other countries.

“It’s bad enough that the jobs are being sent overseas,” Kerry told supporters at an old train station in Greensboro, but the White House “thinks it’s a good idea.”

Bush administration officials said that while outsourcing has hurt some people in parts of the country, free trade policies overall allow the United States to import more jobs than are exported.

Republican campaign officials further noted that Kerry’s economic plans would not stop outsourcing, and that the candidate has said he supports the practice when it comes “in the normal course of business.”

“Kerry’s shifting positions on outsourcing are another reason that he faces a credibility problem with the American people,” Bush campaign spokesman Steve Schmidt said.

Kerry is considered an underdog against Bush in the Tar Heel State, even though Edwards hails from there. Meanwhile, the Congressional Budget Office estimated the new federal budget deficit at $422 billion.

Again attacking the Bush administration for squandering the budget surpluses of the Clinton years, Kerry attributed that deficit to what he called the president’s tax cuts for the wealthy.

“Yesterday, George Bush said the economy was great, and today George Bush is celebrating a record budget deficit,” Kerry said before the Greensboro appearance, echoing his new campaign mantra: “W stands for wrong, the wrong direction for America.”

Bush aides noted that the deficit projection decreased by more than $55 billion from March, claiming the Bush tax cuts are spurring economic growth. They also noted Kerry has proposed numerous programs devoted to health care and education.

Bush campaign manager Tim Adams said the Kerry domestic plan “means higher taxes on all Americans or a budget deficit that is completely out of control.”